The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is taking a major step toward transforming its regional security and crime prevention systems by integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into its monitoring and response operations.
The initiative was unveiled during the Thematic Workshop on Human Safety, Crime, and Criminality, organized by the ECOWAS Early Warning Directorate (EWD) from October 21 to 24, 2025, in Dakar, Senegal.
Using AI to Reinforce Regional Security
By introducing AI-driven tools, ECOWAS aims to enhance real-time analysis and predictive capabilities, enabling regional and national agencies to detect criminal patterns more quickly and coordinate cross-border interventions with greater precision.
The use of AI marks a significant shift in how ECOWAS approaches human security — from reactive measures to data-driven, proactive intelligence. It is expected to strengthen evidence-based decision-making, improve early warning systems, and ultimately boost the region’s capacity to tackle threats like organized crime, human trafficking, illicit arms and drug trade, and gender-based violence.
A Coordinated Regional Effort
The Dakar workshop brought together security experts and representatives from National Centres for Coordination and Multisectoral Response Mechanisms (NCCRM) across ECOWAS Member States. Participants received training on how to apply data analytics and AI in identifying, analyzing, and responding to regional security threats.
Speaking during the opening session, H.E. Damtien L. Tchintchibidja, Vice-President of the ECOWAS Commission—represented by Ambassador Zelma Nobre Fassinou, ECOWAS Resident Representative in Senegal—stressed the need for innovation in confronting evolving security risks.
“Illicit economies, porous borders, political instability, and economic inequality continue to fuel organized crime across West Africa,” she said. “Adopting new technologies like AI is essential to counter these challenges and safeguard our collective stability.”
Advancing a Data-Driven Security Agenda
The AI integration forms part of ECOWAS’s broader strategy to modernize its security architecture, strengthen analytical capacity, and deepen regional cooperation. By embedding AI into its Early Warning Systems, ECOWAS is positioning itself as a continental leader in technology-enabled peace and security management.
This initiative reinforces ECOWAS’s long-term vision of promoting peace, stability, and sustainable development through innovation — ensuring that technology becomes a central tool in protecting lives and maintaining order across West Africa.
