.Annual cost put at $100m
.Report puts region as new epicentre of terrorist activities
To tackle terrorism in West Africa, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission is considering the establishment of a 5,000-man brigade ECOWAS Standby Force (ESF).
The force, to be established at an overall cost of $2.61 billion, would be deployed to restore sanity and order wherever security and peace are threatened in the region.
“The overall estimated cost for this size of the Brigade stood at about $2.61 billion for the first year of taking off,” disclosed the President, ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, at the meeting of ECOWAS Ministers of Defence and Ministers of Finance, which was held yesterday in Abuja.
Touray said the options followed last year’s decision to activate a regional standby force to fight against terrorism and unconstitutional change of government in the ECOWAS region.
“The two options examined for the birth of the ECOWAS Standby Force (ESF) were: a Force of 5,000-man brigade for deployment to restore sanity and order wherever security and peace are threatened in the ECOWAS region. The overall estimated cost for this size of the Brigade stood at about US$ 2.61billion for the first year of taking off; a Force of 1,650-man brigade by adopting a step-by-step approach towards the 5,000-man brigade target. The estimated cost for this option came out as US$ 481.5million.
“At the end of your deliberations, you gave us a directive to carry out an impact assessment of the increase of the community levy on the economy of Member States and the cost-effectiveness of the options,” he said.
According to Touray, the body would be presenting to the ministers findings from a team of consultants deployed to Member States to carry out the exercise.
“This, we believe, will give you a clearer picture of things based on the data collected from our respective countries and help you to make informed decisions.”
He added that fighting terrorism remained a priority and that with necessary support and commitment, ECOWAS citizens will be protected from this menace of terrorism.
The President, however, frowned at members’ reluctance to pay annual community levies.
Speaking, Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Hon. Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, called for decisions that reflect both the urgency of the security imperatives and the prudence required to ensure long-term viability.
