50 Years Of Integration: ECOWAS Honoured As Amandla Institute Calls For Deeper Regional Solidarity”

A conference marking the 50th anniversary of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) commenced on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, in Abuja, Nigeria. Organized by the Amandla Institute in collaboration with the ECOWAS Commission, the two-day event serves as a crucial platform for participants to reflect on the organisation’s milestones, ongoing challenges, and future outlook.

The conference also offers a unique opportunity to assess ECOWAS’s progress over the past five decades, deepen cooperation among member states, and chart innovative pathways for advancing economic growth, regional integration, and stability in West Africa. Additionally, it serves as a crucial moment to evaluate the impact of ECOWAS on the lives of West Africans and to consider the strategic steps the organisation must take going forward.

At the opening ceremony, various speakers underscored ECOWAS’s significant strides toward becoming one of Africa’s foremost institutions for regional cooperation and integration. Dr. Kayode Fayemi, former Governor of Ekiti State, Nigeria, and co-founder of the Amandla Institute, acknowledged that while ECOWAS has faced internal and external hurdles—including financial constraints—it has nonetheless experienced remarkable consolidation and progress over its 50-year history. “ECOWAS has long served as the engine of African regional integration, setting an example from which others continue to draw inspiration,” he said.

Meanwhile, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, H.E. Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, called for a deep reflection on the organisation’s five-decade journey—its achievements, its trials, and the future of regional integration in a rapidly evolving world. He highlighted present-day challenges, such as the withdrawal of three member states, rising insecurity in the Sahel, and increasing geopolitical competition in West Africa.

Dr. Touray also announced plans for a summit on the future of West Africa, which will host a series of dialogues aimed at identifying both barriers and catalysts to achieving the ECOWAS Vision 2050. According to him, the current conference complements the summit’s objectives, emphasizing that people across West Africa—diverse as they are—must be central to shaping a shared future built on peace, prosperity, and mutual respect.

“Let this conference serve as our guide—not only to reflect on the past, but to renew our commitment. May our discussions be daring, thoughtful, and above all, productive. Let us reaffirm our dedication to ECOWAS’s founding ideals and the promise of a more united and resilient West Africa,” Dr. Touray said.

Among the distinguished attendees was General Yakubu Gowon, former Nigerian President and one of the architects of ECOWAS. He recounted the historical backdrop that led to the signing of the Treaty of Lagos on May 28, 1975, which officially established the regional body. He also paid tribute to other West African leaders who played key roles in ECOWAS’s founding, including the late Togolese President, General Gnassingbé Eyadéma.

“ECOWAS was born out of a desire to enhance cooperation among West African nations, promote regional integration, and drive economic development,” General Gowon noted.

Other notable participants at the event include former Executive Secretaries and Presidents of the ECOWAS Commission such as Dr. Lansana Kouyaté and Kadré Désiré Ouédraogo, alongside Professor Abdoulaye Bathily of Senegal, former Sierra Leonean President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma, ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah, and Abdou Kolley, Chief of Staff to the ECOWAS Commission President.