ECOWAS @ 50
Context:
- On May 28, 2025, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) celebrated its 50th anniversary with a big conference in Lagos, Nigeria.
- Leaders from ECOWAS, the African Union (AU), Nigeria, and the United Nations (UN) praised ECOWAS as a top example of regional cooperation in Africa.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Event: A “ROUNDTABLE CONFERENCE ON ECOWAS, AN AFRICAN MODEL @ 50: RESILIENCE AND FUTURE PROSPECTS” was held on May 28, 2025, at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) in Lagos.
- Discussion Topics: Experts talked about key issues such as:
- Regional security (safety in the region)
- Economic integration (bringing economies together)
- Democratic consolidation (making democracies stronger)
- Youth empowerment (giving young people opportunities)
- The future of international cooperation in West Africa.
- Key Message: Speakers highlighted the need for new political commitment, fair governance, and a fresh vision for integration that truly reflects what West African citizens want.
- Tribute: The event also honored ECOWAS’s work in mediation and peacebuilding in places like Liberia, Sierra Leone, Mali, and The Gambia. Nigeria’s vital role as a founding and leading member was also acknowledged.
LEADER’S PERSPECTIVE
- President of ECOWAS Commission :
- Highlighted the urgent need for unity to fight insecurity in the region, saying, “No single nation can combat insecurity alone.
- We can only do this through collaboration.”
- Called ECOWAS a “model of Regional Economic Community on the African continent” despite its challenges.
- Also , Announced plans for a Special Summit on the Future of ECOWAS to review achievements and set a clear path forward.
- Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs :
- Praised ECOWAS’s significant contributions to peacekeeping, economic integration, aligning policies across sectors, and promoting democratic governance.
- Noted that the forum allowed for assessing ECOWAS’s role while facing new challenges like political instability and economic differences.
- Deputy Chairperson, African Union Commission:
- Hailed ECOWAS as Africa’s benchmark (standard) for regional integration.
- Stated that ECOWAS has achieved what the African Union’s founders hoped for, especially in free movement of people, customs union, and monetary union.
- Mentioned that ECOWAS is “very frequently used as our reference” in AU discussions on regional economic groups, especially regarding how to fund the Union through a “Community levy,” which ECOWAS has already put in place.
- Other Key Remarks:
- Nigeria’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs highlighted ECOWAS’s strong stand against unconstitutional changes in government, its support for democracy, and its economic reforms through free trade and a common external tariff.
- Aminata Touré, former Prime Minister of Senegal, stressed the urgent need to address youth unemployment, poverty, and the neglect of women for inclusive regional development.
ABOUT ECOWAS
- Formation: ECOWAS was established by signing the Lagos Treaty on May 28, 1975, in Lagos, Nigeria.
- Aim:
- To promote cooperation and integration, leading to an economic union in West Africa.
- To raise the living standards of its people.
- To maintain and improve economic stability.
- To foster relations among member states.
- To contribute to the progress and development of the African continent.
- To have a single common currency and create a large trading bloc in areas like industry, transport, telecommunications, energy, finance, and social/cultural matters.
- Members: The current member states of ECOWAS are Benin, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Sénégal, and Togo.
- Recent Withdrawals: On January 29, 2025, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger officially withdrew from ECOWAS.
- Beyond Economic Goals: Besides economic cooperation, ECOWAS has also worked to stop military conflicts in the region.
- Peacekeeping Operations: It ran a regional peacekeeping operation called ECOMOG, which was led by Nigeria in the 1990s and early 2000s.
- Headquarters: Abuja, Nigeria.
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