Mid-term evaluation of support to ECOWAS Peace and Security Architecture and Operations (EPSAO)

As part of the SIEA framework contracts (Lot 3) our consortium was awarded the project: ‘’Mid-term evaluation of Support to ECOWAS Peace and Security Architecture and Operations (EPSAO)”.

For many years, the EU has been a key-supporter of the AU’S efforts to assist and support in operationalising the APSA and its instruments. This commitment and mutual willingness have been materialised in the Joint Africa Europe Strategy (JAES), specifically within the second priority of the partnership on peace and security. The support by the EU has been mainly channelled through the African Peace Facility (APF), but also increasingly under the Regional Indicative Programs (RIPs). Successively substantial APSA support programmes have been put in place and considerable progress has been made in the development of the APSA instruments.

Since more than a decade, the EU, in the above context, is supporting the implementation of the APSA on the African continent in general and, in particular, the ECOWAS in addressing Peace and Security issues.

As such, the EU launched the ECOWAS Peace and Security Architecture and Operations (EPSAO) project in February 2019 (FED/2018/402-633), aiming at ECOWAS becoming an effective partner within the APSA and to support ECOWAS implementing its mandate for the prevention, management and resolution of peace and security threats in West Africa, the overall objective of the EPSAO. This action is co-funded by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

The main objectives of this evaluation are to provide the relevant services of the European Union, the interested stakeholders and the wider public with:

• an overall independent assessment of the past performance of the ECOWAS Peace and Security Architecture and
• Operations (EPSAO) project, paying particular attention to its intermediate results measured against its expected objectives; and the reasons underpinning such results;
• key lessons learned, conclusions and related recommendations in order to improve the current Intervention.

In particular, this evaluation will serve to assess the progress of the EPSAO project until 31 December 2021 and provide recommendations for possible adjustment of the project design and/or implementation modalities.