The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is at a critical crossroads, with regional leaders demanding renewed unity, institutional reforms and concrete action to restore citizens’ confidence in the integration project.
The call was made at the opening of the 96th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers in Freetown, Sierra Leone, where the regional bloc confronted the political, security and economic challenges threatening to weaken West African integration.
The two-day ministerial meeting, which opened on Thursday, precedes the 69th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government.
The Chairperson of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers and Sierra Leone’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Alhaji Musa Timothy Kabba, said the region could no longer afford to allow internal divisions and emerging challenges to undermine the collective vision of West African integration.
Kabba said citizens’ expectations of ECOWAS had never been higher, stressing that the regional organisation must become more responsive, united and innovative in addressing emerging challenges and delivering tangible benefits in peace, security, economic opportunity and social progress.
“Our citizens’ expectations have never been higher,” he said, urging member states and ECOWAS institutions to ensure that the organisation’s integration agenda translated into practical improvements in the lives of citizens.
He said West Africa’s current challenges required a renewed commitment to dialogue, solidarity and mutual respect, describing the principles as essential to lasting peace and sustainable development.
Kabba said Sierra Leone’s own journey from conflict to peace and from recovery to resilience had strengthened the country’s conviction that dialogue and cooperation remained the surest path to stability and development.
He urged ECOWAS to remain faithful to the vision of its founding fathers, who recognised that the destinies of West African countries were inseparably linked.
“As we work together over the coming days, let us remain guided by our common purpose and inspired by the vision of the founding fathers of ECOWAS, who understood that our individual destinies are inextricably linked to our collective future,” he said.
The call for unity and a more citizen-centred regional organisation was reinforced by the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Alieu Touray, who said the bloc must now move beyond the celebration of its 50-year legacy and translate its shared vision into concrete action.
Touray said ECOWAS had passed through one of the most challenging periods in its history, marked by complex political transitions, evolving security threats, economic uncertainty, an increasingly fragile global environment and the withdrawal of three member states.
“Together, we have steered our community through one of the most challenging periods in its history,” Touray said.
He said the ECOWAS Commission had nevertheless remained committed to implementing the decisions of the Authority of Heads of State and Government, preserving institutional stability, maintaining channels of dialogue and cooperation and safeguarding the continuity of Community programmes and institutions.
The convergence of the positions of the Council Chairperson and the ECOWAS Commission President underscored the growing urgency for the regional bloc to move beyond declarations and make its integration agenda more relevant to ordinary citizens.
For Touray, the challenge facing ECOWAS is not merely to preserve the structures of regional integration, but to strengthen them and make them more effective in responding to the realities confronting West Africa.
He said that, following the commemoration of ECOWAS’s 50th anniversary last year, the organisation’s focus must now be on converting its shared vision into practical actions.
“Following the commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of ECOWAS last year, our focus must now be on translating our shared vision into concrete actions that respond to the changing realities of our region,” he said.
The ECOWAS Commission President said the organisation had continued to strengthen its institutional foundations despite the challenges confronting the region.
He highlighted the operationalisation of the Permanent Representatives Committee as an advisory organ of the Council of Ministers, as well as the completion and commissioning of the Mfum-Ekok bridge and joint border post, a major transnational infrastructure project connecting the ECOWAS and ECCAS regions.
He also cited the launch of the ECOWAS Business Council under the chairmanship of Nigerian industrialist Aliko Dangote as a major step towards strengthening private-sector participation in regional integration and economic development.
Another milestone, he said, was the completion of the construction and relocation of the ECOWAS Commission to its new headquarters in Abuja in May 2026.
“These milestones, amongst many others, reflect our collective determination to build stronger institutions capable of serving the people of West Africa more effectively,” Touray said.
The Freetown deliberations are expected to focus on a broad range of issues critical to the future of ECOWAS.
The Council will consider the 2026 Interim Report on the State of the Community, review the financial position of the organisation and assess the implementation of decisions taken at previous sessions.
It will also consider reports from several statutory bodies, including the Administration and Finance Committee, the Audit Committee, the Judicial Council and an ad hoc ministerial committee on the selection and evaluation of statutory appointees.
The agenda further covers digital transformation, regional investment promotion, cultural cooperation, gender equality, telecommunications, agriculture, trade, science and innovation.
The Council is also expected to consider a report on relations between ECOWAS and the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), comprising Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, the three countries that withdrew from the regional organisation.
The outcome of the ministerial deliberations will form the basis of recommendations to the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government at its forthcoming 69th Ordinary Session.
Kabba urged delegates to approach the deliberations with wisdom, mutual respect and a shared determination to advance the interests of the Community.
The meeting, he said, must help strengthen the organisation’s capacity to respond to the region’s complex political, security and socio-economic challenges while creating greater opportunities for its citizens.
The session also marks a significant moment for Touray, who disclosed that it was the last Ordinary Session of the Council of Ministers he would address as President of the ECOWAS Commission.
After four years at the helm of the Commission, he expressed gratitude to the Authority of Heads of State and Government, the Council of Ministers, member states and development partners for the confidence and support extended to the institution during his tenure.
He also paid tribute to the Vice-President, Commissioners, heads of institutions and staff of ECOWAS for their professionalism, resilience and commitment in sustaining the work of the organisation under demanding circumstances.
Touray stressed that the progress recorded by ECOWAS was not the achievement of one individual but the product of collective commitment to the ideals of regional integration.
As he prepares to leave office, he expressed confidence in the future of the regional organisation despite the challenges confronting it.
“I leave the office with confidence in the future of our community,” he said.
Touray said ECOWAS still possessed the resilience, institutional capacity and political will to advance peace, stability, economic integration and sustainable development across West Africa.
The Freetown meeting, therefore, comes at a defining moment for ECOWAS.
The regional bloc is being confronted with the need to rebuild confidence in its institutions, strengthen unity, respond more effectively to security and political challenges and demonstrate that regional integration can deliver tangible benefits to its citizens.
The message from the meeting was clear: ECOWAS must not only survive its current challenges but must renew itself, regain the confidence of the people it was created to serve and reposition itself as a stronger, more united and more effective instrument of peace, integration and prosperity in West Africa.
