Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Permanent Representation Participates in the African Union Peace and Security Council Open Session on the Review of Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development in Africa

As part of a month-long activities commemorating 20 years since the adoption of the Post-Conflict Reconstruction And Development Policy of the African Union, the African Union Peace and Security Council (AU-PSC) held an open session where Peace and Secuirity Council Members, African Union Member States, Regional Economic Communities and Partners converged to share experiences on the implementation of the Post-Conflict Reconstruction And Development (PCRD) policy. The session was held on the 2nd of November, 2026 under the chairmanship of Cote d’Ivoire, Peace and Security Council chairperson for the month of November.

Speaking during the session, the Permanent Representative of the ECOWAS Commission tot he African Union,Hon Abdou Kolley, informed Peace and Security Council that West Africa has successfully pivoted from reactive military intervention to a preventative, development-led human security model, proving that peacebuilding is not a pause in conflict, but a continuous investment in economic resilience.

He noted that over the last two decades, ECOWAS has pioneered the operationalization of peace infrastructure. From stabilizing transitions in The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau to implementing comprehensive Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) programs in Liberia, these interventions have shifted away from capital-centric approaches.

Today, the focus is on structural development, specifically addressing youth unemployment, cross-border resource conflicts, and the socio-economic vulnerabilities that radical groups exploit. ECOWAS haS built an architecture where the ECOWAS Standby Force and the ECOWAS Early Warning and Response Network (ECOWARN) early warning system act as immediate cushions for regional stability.

In looking forward to  the next decade under ECOWAS Vision 2050 and the Revised Africa Union Post-Conflict Reconstruction And Development Policy, we must confront a shifting security landscape that demands tighter institutional synergy between ECOWAS and the African Union.

He also address two critical gaps: The Response Gap: early-warning mechanisms are technically sound, but political response does not often match their speed. And The Sovereign Funding Gap: We remain unsustainably reliant on external partners. We must collectively operationalize the ECOWAS Peace Fund and fully utilize the African Union Peace Fund to anchor African-led solutions.

In conclusion, he called on the African Union Peace and Security Council to commit to three immediate actions: To harmonize the African Union – ECOWAS nexus to eliminate institutional duplication and streamline division of labour, prioritize decentralized, community-owned peacebuilding initiatives that focus on women and youth, and maintain institutional solidarity to bridge geopolitical fragmentation across the sub-region.

He ended his intervention by urging the audience to use this 20-year milestone not just to celebrate, but to institutionalize permanent resilience.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).