The European Union’s ECOWAS Partnership and Regional Security in West Africa: Implications for Nigeria

This study examines the partnership between the European Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in the domain of regional security, with specific focus on the implications for Nigeria as ECOWAS's largest and most strategically significant member state. The EU-ECOWAS partnership, formalised through the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) support programme, has provided financial, logistical, and technical assistance to ECOWAS-led peacekeeping and conflict prevention activities. This descriptive research draws on EU External Action Service publications, ECOWAS executive secretariat reports, and academic literature on EU-Africa security relations published between 2020 and 2024. The study examines how EU support for ECOWAS has influenced Nigeria's role in West African security operations, including its leadership of ECOWAS Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) deployments and its response to the 2023 Niger coup. The research also investigates whether EU-ECOWAS security cooperation has strengthened institutional capacity within ECOWAS headquarters in Abuja, which is located in Nigeria's Federal Capital Territory in the North-Central zone. Findings contribute to undergraduate understanding of multilateral security partnerships involving European and African regional institutions. Keywords: EU-ECOWAS partnership, West African security, Nigeria, APSA, regional peacekeeping.