Austen Pabor is our Regional Security Advisor for West Africa. Based in Abuja, Nigeria. Austen has worked for Spearfish for 4 years and his role has grown with the company. When he is not working you might find him on the football pitch or watching Judge Judy.
COVID - 19 has affected every aspect of our lives and left our development sector and NGO clients facing unprecedented levels of uncertainty, especially in West Africa, where I support their projects. Throughout this period, I have been providing safety and security services to help them in carving out policies and guidelines to assist them in their day-to-day activities.
In the initial stages of the pandemic, I provided information to our clients to assist them in their contingency planning and decision-making processes. As the world began to lockdown and movement became increasingly restricted, I helped evacuate internationals out of Nigeria and relocate people to safer places internally. Where clients chose to remain, I was able to share essential information to keep them safe and reassured. One of my key tasks was cutting away all the disinformation that was floating around. I took it as a point of absolute importance for our clients to see the true picture of the situation in their operational areas.
Over the past months, I have been pushing out daily Covid-19 updates - stats and data with infographics and accompanying analysis - specifically for the areas where we have clients or where clients are looking to return. There have been regular check-ins with clients to keep them abreast of the evolving situation and answer any of their questions and security-related concerns. I’ve also spent a lot of time monitoring the state of West African economies and supply chains, particularly focusing on food, fuel, and medical supplies
This is so that clients can start to assess the longer-term implications on their operations.
Throughout this challenging time, I have also reminded our clients that all the other threats facing West Africa haven’t just gone away. In fact, in many cases, we have seen an increase in risk levels. In many parts of West Africa, we’ve seen a rise in crime as a result of the economic impact of COVID; increased civil unrest in response to governments’ handling of the pandemic; and escalating terrorism and militant activity, perhaps due to the security vacuum that has arisen as a result of overwhelmed public resources.
It has never been a busier and more challenging period for me as a Security Advisor. All these tasks had to be carried out remotely, with little or no power supply at home in Abuja, and unreliable internet access. However, it has been incredibly rewarding to support our clients in their decision-making processes and providing Duty of Care to their staff and consultants.
Today the restrictions are being gradually lifted, social and economic activities are beginning to return but with restrictions. I have been busy supporting our clients with guidelines and procedures on how they can manage the ‘new normal’ while keeping safe. The focus of this has revolved heavily around ‘Do No Harm’ policy, meaning it might be possible to return to work, but we must consider the impact this may have on the safety of others. Together, we have developed Return to Work policies and guidelines and carried out training on how we can continue to keep offices and workstations virus-free. We’ve also been contingency planning for future lockdowns that might be imposed, and how best to prepare for every eventuality.
I feel proud to have had this unique opportunity to support our valued clients across West Africa in these unprecedented events. Equally, I am extremely appreciative of the Spearfish team in the UK and in Nigeria for their support and cooperation through this challenging period.