Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has begun a new chapter with a renewed push for regional unity and deeper engagement with the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), as General Birame Diop formally assumed office as President of the ECOWAS Commission.
Diop, who took over from Dr Omar Alieu Touray at a handover ceremony in Abuja, said ECOWAS was at a crossroads following the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from the regional bloc, but stressed that geography and shared challenges made continued cooperation with the three countries unavoidable.
He said, ‘We have no other choice, because our brothers, our neighbours, our comrades have left us, but geography remains the same,’ Diop said.
He noted that ECOWAS and the AES countries shared at least 5,250 kilometres of borders and continued to have significant exchanges among their populations, while facing common threats, including terrorism, irregular migration, organised transboundary crime and environmental challenges.
‘We have no other choice than to work in a solidary, concerted manner for the interest of both spaces,’ the new ECOWAS Commission president said.
Diop, whose appointment was confirmed by the Conference of Heads of State and Government at its 69th Ordinary Session in July, pledged that the new leadership would do everything possible to meet the expectations of the region’s leaders and citizens.
He said his administration was assuming responsibility at a critical period, with ECOWAS also confronted by a political crisis in Guinea-Bissau.
According to him, the Heads of State recently decided in Lungi to designate Senegal as facilitator in the Guinea-Bissau crisis, with the Commission expected to work closely with Senegal to ensure a peaceful resolution.
Diop said another priority would be rebuilding cohesion within ECOWAS as the organisation approaches the completion of the first five years of implementing its Vision 2050.
He said the assessment of the implementation had identified the need to strengthen cohesion, improve the performance of ECOWAS institutions, increase citizens’ ownership of the organisation and develop innovative funding sources.
He disclosed that more than 50 programmes had already been designed but required adequate resources for implementation.
‘Therefore, to take charge of all these key initiatives, which are of proven complexity, we must have a Commission that is engaged, a Commission that is solidary, a Commission that looks in the same direction,’ Diop said.
He also called for fraternity, camaraderie, respect, tolerance and patience among staff and member states, noting that the diversity of West Africa should not undermine its unity.
‘We are not all the same. We do not have the same culture, we do not have the same history, we might not have the same way of viewing what we do together, but we have no choice but to stay together,’ he said.
The new ECOWAS chief said the Commission would also have to respond to the security pressures confronting the region while pursuing economic integration and development.
Earlier, the outgoing Commission president, Touray, said the leadership transition was not merely a farewell but an affirmation of confidence in the regional organisation.
‘Leadership is temporary. Institutions endure. The strength of an institution is measured not by the individual who leads it, but by its ability to fulfil its purpose beyond any one tenure,’ Touray said.
Reflecting on his four years in office, Touray said his administration had operated during one of the most difficult periods in ECOWAS history, marked by political transitions, terrorism, violent extremism, humanitarian pressures, economic difficulties following the COVID-19 pandemic and uncertainty over the future of regional integration.
He said the outgoing administration nevertheless left behind a record of achievements documented in the ECOWAS Management Performance Compendium 2022-2026 unveiled at the ceremony.
Touray cited progress on major regional infrastructure and connectivity projects, including the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline and the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Highway, as well as regional electricity interconnection and the modernisation of trade and transport corridors.
He said the organisation had also advanced preparations for the launch of the ECO currency in 2027 and strengthened programmes covering food security, youth, women, education and skills development.
According to him, the West Africa Rice Investment Roundtable generated an investment pipeline of about $1.54 billion, including $1.47 billion in firm commitments.
Touray also highlighted the completion and occupation of the new ECOWAS Headquarters Complex in Abuja, supported by the Chinese government, and the completion and inauguration of the ECOWAS Logistics Depot for peace and support operations in Sierra Leone.
He said the Commission had also managed the difficult process of closing and transferring ECOWAS assets and offices following the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
On staff welfare, Touray disclosed that his administration had enhanced remuneration through an improved post-adjustment mechanism across all duty stations, resulting in salary increases for regular staff and some categories of contract staff.
‘This is the first time the post adjustment has been enhanced since 2009,’ he said.
Touray urged the incoming leadership to keep ordinary West Africans at the centre of regional integration, arguing that citizens experience ECOWAS through free movement, cross-border trade, employment, security and opportunities rather than official communiqués.
‘Our citizens do not experience ECOWAS through Communiqués and Protocols. They experience ECOWAS when they cross borders without unnecessary obstacles, when they trade with neighbouring countries, when they find employment and their children receive opportunities, when their communities are secure, and when they can move freely across our region,’ he said.
He urged Diop and the incoming statutory officials to protect the institution and place the interests of more than 400 million West Africans at the centre of their decisions.
Also speaking, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, charged the new ECOWAS leadership to prioritise regional integration, financial accountability, peace and security and programmes capable of delivering measurable benefits to citizens.
Representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the minister said the transition represented continuity in the pursuit of the vision of a united, peaceful and prosperous West Africa.
‘What we seek is an ECOWAS of citizens and not of governments, where artificial borders and narrow interests have continued to forestall our supranational objectives,’ Enikanolaiye said.
He urged the incoming management to focus on free movement, regional trade and investment, infrastructure, innovation and connectivity, as well as food and energy security and employment opportunities for young people and women.
Enikanolaiye also demanded greater financial probity and accountability within ECOWAS, saying the organisation must justify the investments and sacrifices made by member states to sustain it.
‘For Nigeria, ECOWAS must continue to justify the huge investments and sacrifices that have been made, not just by the government and people of Nigeria, including the payment of community levy, but also by other member states in the sub-region to sustain the organisation,’ he said.
He called for prudent financial management, cost-effectiveness and value for money, urging the new management to eliminate unnecessary duplication, waste and operational leakages.
The minister further stressed that economic integration could not thrive without peace and security, citing terrorism, violent extremism, political instability, irregular migration, banditry and climate change as threats to regional development.
‘Economic integration can neither be pursued nor can it flourish in an atmosphere of political instability, terrorism, violent extremism, threat to constitutional order, irregular migration, banditry, challenges of climate change,’ he said.
Enikanolaiye called for intensified engagement with Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, describing the AES countries as ‘our brothers and sisters in our shared region and with common challenges and aspirations.’
He assured the new ECOWAS leadership of Nigeria’s support and urged it to lead with ‘greater vision, integrity, efficiency, and strong sense of purpose and service’ to the sub-region.
The handover ceremony formally marked the beginning of Diop’s tenure as ECOWAS Commission president and came at a critical juncture for the 50-year-old regional organisation as it seeks to rebuild cohesion, address security challenges and sustain the integration agenda amid its changing political landscape.