The Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has launched Ghana’s National Centre for Coordination of Early Warning and Response Mechanism and commissioned the Centre’s offices in Accra.
The establishment of the Centre follows the endorsement by the ECOWAS Heads of States and Governments at its 45th Ordinary Session held in Accra. ECOWAS member states have since then begun establishing National Early Warning and Response Centres.
The Centre’s activities will be geared towards the detection, monitoring and analysis of conflict indicators and production of reports.
Performing the launch in Accra on Friday, 12th November 2021, Vice President said the work of the Centre focuses on five thematic areas namely Crime and Criminality; Governance and Human Rights; Health and Pandemics; Social, Economic and Environment; and Security, Terrorism and Maritimes.
“The Centre will produce Situation Reports, Monthly and Quarterly Security Situation Reports, Annual Peace and Security Situation Reports, including Monthly Country Policy Brief, among other Incident Reports. The Reports will be shared with ECOWAS Commission and Member States,” he disclosed.
To guarantee the existence of the Centre across political regimes, the Centre is established by an Act of Parliament referred to as the National Centre for Coordination of Early Warning and Response Mechanism 2021, Act 1070 passed by the Parliament of the Republic of Ghana on 6th August, 2021, and subsequently signed into law by the President. The Act establishes a legal framework for the operation and administration of the Centre.
Underscoring the need for such a Centre, Dr Bawumia said the threat of terrorism and other related activities, as well as natural disasters had made it imperative to have early warning systems in place to allow Governments and other international prepare for any eventualities.
