President Bola Tinubu who is the Chairman of ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, says ECOWAS will continue to dialogue with Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger Republic to maintain unity and will convene a Special Extra-ordinary Summit on the future of the Community.
The President also disclosed that consultations are ongoing to revise the ECOWAS 2001 Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.
President Tinubu made the statement in Accra, Ghana as he addressed African leaders on the status of ECOWAS, highlighting the progress so far made by the West African economic bloc and the prevailing challenges.
Presenting the achievements of ECOWAS in the past one year at the Sixth Mid-Year Coordination Meeting of the African Union, President Tinubu said the Community has activated a Standby Force to counter terrorism and will continue to explore funding options.
The President said ECOWAS has been supporting member-states to enhance electoral and governance processes, and recently deployed Election Observation Missions to Senegal and Togo – both of which elections were adjudged to be peaceful, transparent, and fair.
He also highlighted the facilitation of the signing of an Agreement for National Unity in Sierra Leone, noting that the sub-regional body will continue to work with stakeholders in the country to implement the provisions of the Agreement.
On economic integration, President Tinubu said ECOWAS has implemented activities to consolidate the free trade area, customs union, and common market.
Detailing the efforts on the humanitarian and social development front, President Tinubu said ECOWAS has allocated $9 million to assist persons of concern, including refugees, internally displaced persons, and asylum seekers.
While in the area of health, ECOWAS continues to provide support to women with obstetric fistula, empowered women entrepreneurs in agribusiness, and focused on gender equality in education and the green economy,” the ECOWAS Chairman stated.
Foregrounding the progress on energy, mines, and agriculture, President Tinubu said ECOWAS is advancing electrification efforts in The Gambia, Guinea Bissau, and Mali through the ECOWAS-Regional Electricity Access Project, ECOREAP.
However, the President noted that the bloc faces multiple threats, including member-states withdrawing, geopolitical rivalries, terrorism, food insecurity, climate change, and the spread of misinformation and disinformation.
On the margins of the AU meeting, President Tinubu held a bilateral meeting with President Ismail Omar Guelleh of Djibouti who emphasised the importance of Nigeria’s role as a leader in West Africa and the continent.
The Mid-Year Coordination Meeting was conceptualised in 2017 as the principal forum for the AU and Regional Economic Communities, RECs to align their work and coordinate the implementation of the continental integration agenda, replacing the June-July summits.
It is a meeting between the Bureau of the AU Assembly and Regional Economic Communities, RECs, with the participation of the Chairpersons of RECs, the AU Commission and Regional Mechanisms, RMs.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
