The African Union’s Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC) has lauded the Executive Director of the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), Emeritus Emmanuel Bombande, for his excellent exemplary role as a peace builder in Africa.

Mr Joseph Chilengi, Presiding Officer of AU ECOSOCC, said Bombande and WANEP’s role over the past 16 years in promoting peace and stability in the West African Sub-region could not be overemphasized.

He described Mr Bombande ‘as a critical human resource, an excellent manager and a team player; an excellent role model of how civil society organizations (CSOs) could become effective partners other players”.

He also applauded Mr Bombande for ensuring a smooth transition within WANEP at both the Board and the Management team levels.

Mr Chilengi made these remarks in Accra, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, on the sideline of the ongoing 13th WANEP General Assembly Meeting. It is on the theme: “WANEP Transition from Programming to Visioning in Support of ECOWAS and African Union Peace Architecture”.

He said WANEP would continue to be the pride of all Africans, that indeed, Africans could also nurture and groom institution that was professional in its operations and result oriented in delivery.

Mr Chilengi said WANEP had demonstrated its capacity and competence to influence policies on peace and security as well as on other developmental challenges facing Africa.

He, therefore, called for the conversion of WANEP into a continental body so that other regions of the African continent could also benefit from the services of WANEP.

He urged African governments to take WANEP’s success story as a case study and should not limit the CSOs space.