The National Defence College (NDC) and ECOWAS have commenced a Senior Mission Leadership Course to strengthen leadership capacity for peace support operations across West Africa.

Speaking at the opening ceremony on Monday in Abuja, the college’s commandant, Abdullahi Ahmed, said the course was designed to prepare senior leaders for complex regional security challenges.

Mr Ahmed, represented by the deputy commandant/director of studies, Kelvin Ukandu, said that terrorism, insurgency, transnational organised crimes, piracy, and unconstitutional changes of government had continued to threaten peace and stability in West Africa.

According to him, strong senior mission leadership remained central to mission success.

He said the West African region had, over time, witnessed a resurgence of conflicts manifested through terrorism, insurgency, transnational organised crime, piracy and unconstitutional changes of government.

Mr Ahmed said the challenges had continued to pose serious threats to peace and security, frequently necessitating the deployment of peace support operations.

“While such missions have recorded notable successes, the persistence of these threats has continued to generate political instability and humanitarian crises across the region.

“I therefore commend the ECOWAS Commission for partnering with the college to organise this timely Senior Mission Leadership Course.

“Senior mission leaders play a pivotal role in the planning, coordination, and execution of peace support operations. Where leadership capacity is inadequate, mission success may be severely compromised,” he said.

Mr Ahmed reaffirmed the NDC’s commitment, as an ECOWAS Strategic Training Centre of Excellence, to supporting the commission through training, research, and strategic engagement.

Also speaking, the ECOWAS commissioner for political affairs, peace, and security, Abdul-Fatau Musah, represented by Sani Adamu, said the region stood at a critical juncture that required collective and coordinated responses.

Mr Musah said the security challenges confronting West Africa demanded unified regional action, noting that the operationalisation of the ECOWAS Counter-Terrorism Force and the activation of the ECOWAS Standby Force were key steps towards strengthening regional security.

He explained that the Senior Mission Leadership Course was intended to bridge capacity gaps in mission leadership and management.

“These initiatives are designed to enhance intelligence sharing, joint operations, and the collective ability of member states to respond effectively to emerging threats,” he said.

“This training is aimed at preparing prospective senior mission leaders to operate effectively in complex, multidimensional peace support environments,” he added.

The course is expected to enhance coordination, decision-making, and operational effectiveness in future ECOWAS peace support operations.

(NAN)