ECOWAS President urges Bloc to confront integration challenges

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is confronting significant challenges to its integration agenda and must strengthen unity, solidarity, and collective resolve to overcome them, according to Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission.

Dr. Touray conveyed this message on Sunday at the 37th Ordinary Meeting of the ECOWAS Administration and Finance Committee (AFC), held at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

He was represented by the Vice President of the Commission, Mrs. Damtien Tchintchibidja.

The meeting’s primary focus was on assessing the mid-term implementation of ECOWAS programmes, projects, and policy decisions, particularly in light of recent financial strains and the impactful withdrawal of three member states: Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.

“Our organisation is currently going through an existential crisis,” Touray stated through his representative. “In such circumstances, we must come together to examine the problems and challenges we face.”

He warned that the exit of the three Sahelian countries from the bloc posed a significant risk to the gains achieved over 50 years of regional integration. The session also reviewed ongoing recruitment efforts across ECOWAS institutions and addressed the growing concern of financial sustainability amid diminishing international donor support.

Touray emphasized that to preserve the cohesion and future of the region, institutional, political, and security reforms must be fast-tracked. He revealed that preparations were underway for a crucial summit on the future of ECOWAS, following directives from the Authority of Heads of State and Government.

“The lesson from our fiftieth anniversary and the recent withdrawals is clear: We must accelerate reforms to build a more resilient, forward-looking community,” he affirmed.

Ahead of the upcoming summit, comprehensive consultations will be held across the region, including crucial engagements with youth and women groups, to ensure inclusive participation in shaping the bloc’s future.

Also addressing the meeting, Prof. Nazifi Darma, ECOWAS Commissioner for Internal Services, underscored the pressing need for financial innovation within the bloc.

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“Donor support is diminishing under the new global order. We must now explore indigenous and creative means of funding and service delivery,” he asserted.

Darma also mentioned that the Commission had procured new communications infrastructure to modernize operations and boost internal capacity. He urged member states to align with the evolving dynamics of global aid and financing.

In his remarks, Amb. Olawale Awe, Chairman of the AFC, called for decisive action to address persistent staffing gaps across ECOWAS institutions and to shore up revenue shortfalls triggered by the departure of the three Sahel states.

“We must act proactively. The Commission cannot afford stagnation at a time when the region is yearning for progress,” Amb. Awe stated.

The AFC meeting is expected to provide key recommendations to guide the next steps in ECOWAS’s integration agenda and institutional reforms.