By Ajibola Olaide, JKNewsMedia Reporter
FIFTY YEARS after the founding of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), regional leaders gathered in Lagos to reflect on achievements and confront urgent threats with a renewed push for unity and cooperation.
Addressing dignitaries and heads of state at the landmark anniversary event, ECOWAS Commission President Omar Touray delivered a decisive message urging deeper collaboration among member states to navigate a volatile global landscape.
The anniversary, themed Stronger Together, For a Brighter Future, brought together current and former leaders of West Africa, underscoring the bloc’s legacy of integration, trade facilitation, and regional stability.
Touray cited escalating violence, terrorism, geopolitical tensions, economic volatility, and cost-of-living crises as pressing reasons for intensified regional cooperation.
“These challenges remind us of the need to go even closer, strengthen our unity and cooperate as a region,” Touray said, warning that fragmented approaches will falter against complex transnational threats.
He emphasised that ECOWAS’ strength lies in solidarity and shared identity, calling for collective action to address terrorism, climate change, democratic instability, poverty, and inequality.
According to Touray, the community’s endurance and resilience over five decades are proof of what unity can achieve.
Marking the golden jubilee, Touray highlighted a track record that includes advances in free movement across borders, intra-regional trade, and critical infrastructure development.
He pointed to the regional electricity market as a milestone in energy access, noting how it has benefited both households and enterprises.
He also acknowledged the role of the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), which has mobilised $4.5 billion to fund projects across the region.
From pandemic response to security cooperation, the bloc has consistently demonstrated capacity for joint action, Touray added.
“We have stood together in the face of epidemics and pandemics, in security and natural disasters, offering humanitarian support and strengthening healthcare and food systems,” he said.
He underscored investment in people as a core principle, citing progress in gender equality, youth employment, human capital, and digital entrepreneurship.
Touray described ECOWAS as a model of African-led solutions, with a legacy stretching from the peacekeeping missions of ECOMOG to modern-day investments in start-ups and infrastructure.
Citizens’ involvement in shaping ECOWAS decisions remains central to the bloc’s future, he said. Touray noted the upcoming launch of the Economic, Social and Cultural Council of West Africa as a formal channel for public engagement.
“We have continued to create space for our citizens to participate in the integration process,” he said, stressing the value of public input in governance, security, and development planning.
Touray also expressed hope for renewed unity with Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, which have exited the bloc over political disagreements.
Despite their absence, the ceremony carried symbolic weight for continuity and recommitment.
Former Nigerian Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, the only surviving signatory of the 1975 treaty that established ECOWAS, was honoured during a special session at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs.
He joined President Bola Tinubu in signing a commemorative card recognising the legacy and promise of the regional body.
Presidents Joseph Boakai of Liberia, Faure Gnassingbé of Togo, and Umaro Sissoco Embaló of Guinea-Bissau joined in affirming their countries’ dedication to ECOWAS’ founding principles.
Other member states were represented at the Lagos summit, while the governments of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso remained absent from proceedings.
The golden jubilee event continued at the Eko Hotel and Suites, providing a platform for leaders to reflect on half a century of progress while charting a path forward against the complex realities facing the West African region.
