ECOWAS has called an extraordinary joint meeting of its finance and defense ministers to urgently address the funding of the ECOWAS Standby Force (SSF), a regional anti-terrorism initiative stalled since its announcement in December 2024 due to financial constraints.
This resolution follows the bloc’s 67th ordinary summit in Abuja, where outgoing ECOWAS Chair and Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu emphasized the need to transform the force from concept to operational reality, as jihadist violence escalates across the region.
His successor, Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio, takes over leadership during a period of intensifying insecurity marked by attacks in Benin, Nigeria, and along the Gulf of Guinea.
The summit also celebrated the completion of the Lungi Regional Military Logistics Depot in Sierra Leone and reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to providing air and maritime transport support.
The SSF’s architecture includes an initial deployment of 1,650 troops, scaling up to 5,000 under a revised Counterterrorism Action Plan. Preparatory work—bolstered by a technical meeting in February 2025—has laid the legal and operational groundwork. Leaders acknowledged that the force’s success hinges on internal funding and the implementation of their commitments, reflecting a regional push for self-reliant security amidst shifting global partnerships in the fight against terrorism in the Sahel.
