The Heads of the National Commissions for the Fight against the Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (COMNAT-ALPC) of ECOWAS Member States met from 29 to 31 October 2024 in Abuja, as part of the 2024 Annual Coordination Meeting. The theme of the meeting was: “Combating improvised explosive devices, promoting the management of SALW and regulating artisanal weapons production in the ECOWAS region”.

The main objective of this meeting was to identify, exchange and integrate national dynamics and priorities into regional interventions to combat the contamination of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), the production and distribution of artisanal weapons, as well as to improve the physical security and management (PSSM) of national stocks of weapons and ammunition.

This meeting allowed the participation of delegates representing the National Commissions for the fight against the proliferation of small arms and light weapons of ECOWAS Member States, national experts in the field of neutralization of explosive devices (EOD), as well as representatives of partner organizations at the ECOWAS Commission on issues of control of SALW.

In his opening remarks, Major General Abdul Khalifah Ibrahim, Deputy Director General of the National Centre for Small Arms and Light Weapons Control of Nigeria, on behalf of the Director General, highlighted the ongoing legislative efforts and the importance of NATCOMS activities on weapons destruction. He urged Member States, partners and the ECOWAS Commission to continue to work in synergy.

The Director of Regional Peacekeeping and Security, Dr. Cyriaque AGNEKETHOM, on behalf of Amb. Abdel-Fatau Musa,Phd, ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, opened the meeting by welcoming participants and conveying warm greetings from the Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security (PAPS). He commended the collective efforts to curb the proliferation of weapons and stressed the importance of collaboration between partners and Member States to address the challenges posed by small arms and light weapons (SALW) in the ECOWAS region.

The representative of the Government of the Republic of Nigeria, Mr. Johnson Babatunde Kokumo, Deputy Inspector General of Police RTD, commended the NATCOMs and partners for their crucial role in promoting peace and security in the ECOWAS region. He stressed the importance of the annual coordination meeting which serves as a strategic platform for technical networking among Member States to improve the security framework in the region.

He also stressed the need for enhanced coordination and collaborative efforts by Member States to effectively address the upsurge in violence in the region.