ECOWAS and the UN Institute for Disarmament Research completed a four-day assessment of Cabo Verde’s weapons and ammunition management, finding its national small arms commission exists but is no longer functioning.

The Weapons and Ammunition Management Baseline Assessment ran in Praia from 20 to 23 October 2026, according to a report from the ECOWAS Commission.

It was carried out by the commission in collaboration with the Government of Cabo Verde and UNIDIR.

Representatives of national institutions took part in the exercise, which was set up to review existing capacities, identify institutional and operational gaps, and develop practical options for strengthening the governance and management of weapons and ammunition across their entire life cycle in the country.

Reactivating the national commission on Small Arms and making it fully functional was described as a major priority that emerged from the assessment. The commission was already in place but has become non-functional.

The assessment also highlighted the need to strengthen implementation of existing national legislation on arms control and of applicable ECOWAS procedures governing arms transfers.

The exercise closed with a national roadmap document summarising practical options to guide follow-up planning. The commission said follow-up engagement should support national ownership, effective inter-agency coordination and sustained implementation of the roadmap.

ECOWAS framed the assessment within its stated commitment to helping prevent arms diversion and illicit proliferation and to improving the safety and security of national stocks of arms and ammunition in the region.