CEYWI, an organization that serves as a platform for good governance and societal development, through policy advocacy for inclusive participation and people oriented research towards sustainable peace and development signed grant agreement with UNSCAR to implement project in 5 West Africa Countries of Burkina Faso; Ghana; Guinea Bissau; Nigeria and Senegal with duration of 12 months. The title of the project is :

Evidence-Based Capacity Building for ECOWAS Member States on Military Expenditure Reporting .

The project on evidence based capacity building for ECOWAS states which is in two, locked steps, involves knowing  reasons countries do not report on military expenditure and has as its ultimate goal transaprency which enhances military expenditure to serve as Confidence and Security Building Measure (CSBM) among states and prevents military conflict. It also has a capacity building component which uses research findings to improve state’s ability to report on their military expenditure in order to ensure that countries are in a position on their military expenditure.

When countries have information on what other countries are spending on defence they feel less threatened by the activities of their neigbours. In order to ensure that all countires realize the inherent advantages in providing this information, regional organizations such as ECOWAS should be more involved in encouraging open exchange of informtion on military activities by their member states. Hence the engagement of this project with the sub regional organisation. Women are also being considered as part of the project as researchers and  consultants to add their persepctive to the study.  

Transparency in military matters is clearly related to the SDG 16.6 as its very essence apart from the confidence building in mutual relations between states in military matters also ensure the development of effective, accountable and transparent institutions in the process and averts violence both locally and internationally. A regionally agreed exchanged of information on military matters also significantly reduces arms flow (16.4). All this provides the environment where peace reigns and development thrives. A regional organization like ECOWAS with a well-developed security architecture would benefit immensely from a study that provides an understanding of the essence of reporting military expenditure.

Project Expected Impact are the followings:

1. An understanding of why countries, generally, but specifically West African Countries, have not been reporting their military expenditure to the UN Report on Military Expenditure.This could provide a basis for better knowledge of why other regions of the world similar to the countries in the study are responding in much the same way to the reporting system.

2. The findings of the five-country study would form the basis of an evidenced-based capacity building workshop for the five ECOWAS Member states used for the study where identified factors militating against reporting of military expenditure by states to the UN would be addressed to enhance or develop the capacities of states to report their military expnditure. 

3. Both the study and capacity building workshop to enhance or develop states capacities to report to the UN could also serve  to encourage ECOWAS, through its political Affairs, Peace and Security Directorate, to embark on a Confidence and Security Building Measure (CSBM) through information sharing on  military matters by its Member States by developing a reporting instrument on military expenditure to suit its member states’ preferences.

In conclusion, this project seeks to encourage transparency in military spending around the world and especially in the West Africa region by boosting existing Confldence Building Measures  through tranparent reporting of military expnditure by countries in the region. Transprency in the reporting of how much states spend on defence goes a long way in removing suspicion among states that could lead to war. Thus, it ties in with the AU objective of Silencing the Guns on the continet through deliberate institution and promotion of activities (by states and NGOs) that would lead to a total elimination or reduction of armed con

Suleiman Aishat Opeyemi (Ms)

Head of Communication and External Relations

For Further Information:

Contact CEYWI Head of Communication

info@ceywi.org  or century4development@yahoo.com

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