“Although terrorism is not a new threat for many countries in West Africa, it is of increasing concern in the subregion. States in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) region are increasingly aware that terrorism is a threat to the security and economic development of the subregion as a whole and requires a more coordinated subregional response. West Africa, however, lacks either a subregional counterterrorism framework or a mechanism for facilitating cooperation and capacity-building activities to deal with the growing threat.”