By Angela Atabo
Experts have warned that West Africa’s security landscape is changing rapidly, requiring stronger regional cooperation and collective action to tackle emerging threats.
They spoke at the pre-West African Peace and Security Dialogue (WAPSeD) 2027 strategy and review meeting in Abuja on Tuesday.
The meeting, organised by the Building Blocks for Peace Foundation (BBFORPEACE), was themed: “From Dialogue to Action: Reflecting on WAPSeD 2025 Commitments and Setting the Agenda for WAPSeD 2027.”
Prof. Charles Ukeje, Board Chairman of BBFORPEACE, called for a more flexible and complementary security architecture to address the region’s evolving peace and security challenges.
Ukeje, a Professor of International Relations at Obafemi Awolowo University, said security challenges varied across societies and required locally driven responses.
He urged stakeholders to identify and mobilise local resources and capacities instead of relying exclusively on external actors to resolve the region’s security challenges.
Ukeje also stressed greater inclusion of women and youths, saying the principle of leaving no one behind must remain central to sustainable peace and security efforts.
“If civil society claims to represent communities, then communities must actually have a voice in the processes that affect them,” he said.
He said stakeholders could not discuss participation while excluding people directly affected by insecurity and poor governance.
The Executive Director of BBFORPEACE, Mr Rafiu Lawal, identified disinformation, information manipulation, drug trafficking and illicit economies among emerging threats confronting the region.
Lawal said the geography, nature and actors driving insecurity were changing, requiring new tools to prevent and respond effectively to emerging security challenges.
He called for local solutions, stronger regional cooperation, inclusive governance and meaningful participation by governments, civil society, international actors and communities.
Lawal said WAPSeD was established in 2024 to provide a safe and inclusive platform for examining West Africa’s evolving peace and security challenges.
He said the meeting provided an opportunity to review the organisation’s journey, learn from past experiences, identify emerging opportunities and chart a way forward.
According to him, participants would review WAPSeD 2025 recommendations and assess their influence on peacebuilding, governance and security practices across West Africa.
He said participants would also develop an action-oriented roadmap for WAPSeD 2027, covering key themes, stakeholders, partnerships and expected outcomes.
Dr Babatunde Afolabi, Director of Political Affairs, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, , called for stronger regional cooperation.
Afolabi, represented by Dr Constant Gnacadja, Programme Officer, Conflict Prevention, ECOWAS, said security challenges were becoming increasingly complex and interconnected.
He identified violent extremism, terrorism, political tensions, organised crime and humanitarian pressures as challenges increasingly crossing national borders.
“Sustainable peace cannot be achieved by one institution, government or sector alone,” Afolabi said, urging stakeholders to focus on people, prevention and partnership.
He stressed that peace and security efforts should go beyond crisis response, with prevention remaining central to regional initiatives.
Afolabi also called for a shift from dialogue and initiatives to concrete action capable of addressing the region’s growing security challenges.
The Director-General, Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Dr Joseph Ochogwu, described the meeting’s theme as timely.
Ochogwu, represented by his Personal Assistant, Mr Olaniran Olusola, commended BBFORPEACE and its partners for sustaining the peace and security initiative.
He said West Africa continued to face challenges threatening peace and stability, undermining livelihoods, worsening humanitarian crises and slowing socio-economic development.
Ochogwu called for translating dialogue into practical measures to address violent conflicts, insecurity and criminality across the region.
He said government interventions were aimed at promoting peace, stability and development while addressing persistent security challenges within and across West African countries.
The Secretary-General, Society for Peace Studies and Practice, Mr John Tsuwa, called for deeper research and collaboration among communities, governments and lawmakers.
Tsuwa said such collaboration was necessary to develop concrete strategies capable of addressing emerging security threats confronting West Africa.
The Team Lead, Tattaaunawa Roundtable Initiative, Dr Prince Charles Dickson, urged stakeholders to assess the impact of existing peace and security interventions.
Dickson also challenged stakeholders to use lessons from existing interventions to chart practical pathways for strengthening peace and security across the region.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the meeting brought together peace and security experts and other stakeholders to reflect on past commitments and shape priorities for WAPSeD 2027. (NAN)
Edited by Rotimi Ijikanmi
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