Abuja, Nigeria, May 11, 2022. In bid to bridge the gap between Early Warning/Early Response (EW/ER) for a more peaceful and stable West Africa, the ECOWAS Commission, through the Directorate of Political Affairs (DPA) and in partnership with Reacting to Early Warning and Response Data Program (USAID-REWARD), is holding a Collaborative Planning Exercise (CPX) Workshop on Nigeria.

The three-day Workshop which begins on the 17th of May, 2022 aims, among others, to strenghten actionable and effective response plans for the promotion of peaceful elections in Nigeria in 2023, the cultivation of an EW/ER community of practice as well as the positioning of ECOWAS in a mentorship/convening role so that expertise and insight can be more regularly and widely shared as it relates to human security response planning in Nigeria.

The Exercise being facilitated by the Conflict Prevention Unit of the Mediation and Coordination of Regional Political Affairs Division of DPA, will have approximately 30 participants drawn from relevant ECOWAS Directorates, key national level actors, civil society organizations (CSO), community-based organizations (CBO) and non-governmental organizations (NGO) who are leaders and practitioners in the national, Nigeria EW/ER infrastructure.

These include West Africa Network for Peacebuilding, Center for Democracy and Development (CDD), Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), Interfaith Mediation Center (IMC), Nigeria Watch, Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND) as well as ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC), among others.