ECOWAS Standby Force Requires $2.6bn For Takeoff(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Touray, has said that the regional bloc requires approximately 2.61 billion dollars to operationalise its proposed 5,000-strong ECOWAS Standby Force (ESF). Touray disclosed this during a joint meeting of ECOWAS Ministers of Finance and Defence held on Friday in Abuja. The president noted that terrorism in any form remained a significant threat to regional integration, prompting ECOWAS leaders to prioritise the creation of a military response force. “The emergence of terrorist group activities within and around West Africa has become a matter of serious concern to governments and citizens of the region,” Touray said. “In response, ECOWAS has taken a multi-dimensional approach to counter-terrorism, including the development of a comprehensive strategy, establishment of a Standby Force, and regional collaboration on intelligence, training, and humanitarian interventions,” he said.