FBA and ECOWAS
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is a union of 15 West African countries that promotes economic and political cooperation across the region. FBA collaborates with ECOWAS to strengthen the organisation’s work on gender equality, dialogue and mediation.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was founded in 1975 to promote economic cooperation among its member states, improve living standards, and advance economic development in the region. ECOWAS also works to strengthen regional security, including through peacekeeping operations. Since its establishment, ECOWAS has developed into an important actor supporting its member states on domestic political and security issues.
What we do
FBA works to strengthen the capacity of the ECOWAS Council of the Wise in preventive diplomacy and mediation. The Council serves as an advisory and mediating body composed of statespersons, diplomats, and religious and traditional leaders from ECOWAS member countries. Its purpose is to prevent, manage, and resolve conflicts in the region through mediation, diplomacy, and advice to ECOWAS leadership.
Since 2017, FBA has also supported ECOWAS’s efforts on gender equality. The agency has previously trained ECOWAS peacekeeping personnel on preventing and addressing conflict-related sexual violence.
FBA is currently following up on earlier gender equality initiatives and supporting the implementation of ECOWAS guidelines on women, peace and security at the national level.
FBA also contributes to strengthening early response mechanisms for mediation in cooperation with ECOWAS and the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP).
The ECOWAS Secretariat is located in Abuja, Nigeria.