The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has moved to bolster regional digital security with the establishment of a Regional Cybersecurity Coordination Centre (RCCC).
The initiative, currently undergoing validation by experts in Lagos, is aimed at enhancing cooperation among member states, harmonising responses to cyber threats, and strengthening the region’s collective resilience against cybercrime.
The three-day meeting, which runs from September 15 to 17, 2025, in Lagos, Nigeria, is organised by the ECOWAS Commission through its Department of Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalisation.
According to the Commission, the RCCC is being designed as a central hub to support and promote coordinated cybersecurity measures and mutual assistance across the region, in line with Directive C/DIR.1/01/2021 on the ECOWAS Regional Cybersecurity and Cybercrime Strategy.
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It explained that the proposed centre will not override or duplicate the roles of national authorities or Computer Security Incident Response Teams (CSIRTs).
“Instead, it will provide a framework for synergy, intelligence sharing, and regional collaboration to combat growing threats of cybercrime and strengthen the digital resilience of member states”, it said.
According to ECOWAS, the draft report presented in Lagos builds on previous consultations with member states and an earlier preliminary report, offering what the Commission described as “a pragmatic and phased model” that is both ambitious and achievable.
With cybercrime and digital vulnerabilities posing increasing risks to governance, economic growth, and regional security, ECOWAS officials stressed that the RCCC would serve as a keystone for harmonised cybersecurity efforts in West Africa.
