Abuja, 9^th October 2017. The ECOWAS Commission in collaboration with the African Union, the European Union, Member States’ Training Centres of Excellence (TCEs) and other Development Partners have begun the Initial Planning Conference (IPC) for ECOWAS’ Command Post Exercise (CPX) code named JIGUI IV scheduled to hold in July 2018.

The five-day conference which commenced on 9^th October 2017 at the National Defence College (NDC) in Abuja, Nigeria is being convened in order to develop the Exercise Specification, Exercise Plan and the CARANA scenario being used for the exercise.

Representing the Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and security, Mrs. Halima Ahmed, the head of ECOWAS Peace Support Operations Division, Colonel Alain Pale stated that the conference is one of the most important events within the exercise time line and is the first of three to be organized by the ECOWAS Commission.

Addressing the participants, he expressed his optimism at the outcome of the IPC asserting that, ‘We are hopeful that your expertise in the area of Peace Support Operations and the preparation and conduct of the exercise will definitely guide the work of the ECOWAS Commission’.

In his remarks, the Commandant of the NDC, Rear Admiral Adeniyi Osinowo, who was represented by Rear Admiral Peter Odey, stated that regional cooperation is vital to the preservation of humanity through effective resolution and management of conflicts.

‘In today’s unsteady world, regional cooperation is, and remains critical to the prevention of armed conflicts and the maintenance of international peace and security’, He said.

Also speaking at the opening of the conference, the representative of the European Union, Mrs. Stefania Marrone, reiterated the EU’s commitment to the strengthening of ECOWAS’s mechanisms to promote and maintain peace and stability and post crisis operations in the region.

She emphasized that EU’s support to the operationalization of the African Peace & Security Architecture (APSA) is a testament to its commitment towards the attainment of peace and security in the region.

The CPX – JIGUI IV is aimed at testing the capability of the ECOWAS Standby Force (ESF) to conduct strategic and operational level planning for multi-dimensional operations and to exercise command and control of deployed forces on a simulated ECOWAS/AU mandated Peace Support Operation to confirm the Full Operational Capability of the ESF Rapid Deployment Capability.