A six-day training on conflict analysis and data management kicked yesterday at the Paradise Suites Hotel in Kololi.

The ECOWAS-InWent backed training seeks to build the capacity of participants to respond to the challenges of conflict analysis and data management.
Abdou Kolley, Secretary of State for Trade, Industry and Employment, stressed the importance of the training and implored ECOWAS  and InWent to organise such training on a regular basis.

Secretary of State Kolley welcomed ECOWAS delegates to The Gambia and urged  the participants to exploit the opportunity the training offers.

Florence Iheme, Programme Manager of the Early Warning Department of ECOWAS, informed the participants that there has been a steady progress by the sub-regional organisation since the introduction of peace and security activities into its mandate as enshrined in the ECOWAS Revised Treaty of 1993.

"Both the 1999 Protocol relating to the mechanism on conflict prevention, resolution, management, peace keeping and security and its supplement of 2001 detail the structure, and modus operandi of the community on issues of peace, conflict and the related areas of democracy and good governance", she said.

According to Ms Iheme, the commencement of the application of these legal instrument in 2001 underlines the importance of capacity building in ECOWAS operations.
She noted that the ECOWAS partnership with InWent, an organisation which has enormous expertise in capacity building is most valued by the Commission.

Mrs Iheme also stated that the office of the commissioner for Political Affairs, peace and Security has collaborated with InWent since 2002 when InWent invited ECOWAS to participate in a six week course on conflict prevention.

This training for English speaking personnel is the first in a series of three to be administered between 2007 and 2008, for those involved in the operations of the ECOWAS Warning and Response Network.
Mrs Sonja Vorwerk Halve of InWent, also spoke at the opening ceremony.