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As part of its continued commitment to peacebuilding and conflict prevention in West Africa, the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) took an active role in the ECOWAS three-day Symposium on Human Security and National Early Warning and Response Mechanisms (NCCRMs), held from 2 to 4 June 2025 in Lomé, Togo.
The Symposium brought together key stakeholders, including representatives from ECOWAS institutions, Member States, National Centres for the Coordination of Response Mechanisms (NCCRMs), civil society organisations (CSOs), international partners, and regional experts. The event aimed to assess a decade of progress in operationalising NCCRMs and to explore strategies for enhancing early warning and response capabilities in the region.
Participants engaged during one of the sessions at the ECOWAS Symposium on Human Security and NCCRMs
WANEP, a longstanding partner to ECOWAS through its permanent Memorandum of Understanding, plays a pivotal role as a CSO in supporting early warning and response systems across West Africa. As the leading CSO partner to the NCCRMs, WANEP continues to provide critical support and capacity in conflict prevention, peacebuilding, and security.
During the Symposium, WANEP’s Executive Director, Mrs Levinia Addae-Mensah, served both as a panel moderator and speaker. She shared WANEP’s extensive experience in the implementation and sustainability of its National Early Warning Systems (NEWS), with a particular focus on funding models and partnerships that have underpinned their success.
Left: Mrs Levinia Addae-Mensah, Executive Director of WANEP, moderating a high-level panel discussion. Right: Mrs Addae-Mensah presenting WANEP’s experience in sustaining its National Early Warning Systems.
The event was convened to strengthen the operational capacities of the NCCRMs by reviewing their achievements, challenges, and future opportunities. The Symposium concluded with a strong commitment from participants to enhance regional peace and security. Notably, stakeholders agreed on the urgent need to bridge the gap between early warning and coordinated, timely response—underscoring the importance of agile, decentralised, and community-driven interventions.
The opening ceremony was graced by high-level dignitaries, including the Vice-President of the ECOWAS Commission, H.E. Damtien Tchintchibidja; the Togolese Minister of Security and Civil Protection, Ambassador Calixte Batossie Madjoulba; and Ambassador Baba Kamara, ECOWAS Special Envoy on Counter-Terrorism.
Ambassador Calixte Batossie Madjoulba, Togolese Minister of Security and Civil Protection, delivers the opening remarks, with H.E. Damtien Tchintchibidja, Vice-President of the ECOWAS Commission, seated beside him.
WANEP was well represented at the Symposium by its Executive Director, the Regional Board Chair, the Liaison Coordinator at ECOWAS, and a former liaison Coordinator.
WANEP’s delegation at the ECOWAS Symposium
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