By: Haddy Touray
The 67th Ordinary Session of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Heads of State and Government opened in the capital Nigeria, Abuja, on Monday with the State of the Community, economic cooperation, security, and broader sub-regional developments on the agenda.
In his opening remarks, Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu reaffirmed his country’s continuous commitment to regional peace and security responses.
He called for the ECOWAS Standby Force concept to be translated into reality to serve as a regional counter-terrorism pillar. He took pride in the completion of the ECOWAS military logistics depot in Lungi, Sierra Leone.
“Response to external security threats in the sub-region requires effective collaborations among ECOWAS member states and partners,” he noted.
President Tinubu commended ECOWAS for implementing fundamental policies such as the common external tariff, protocol on free movement of goods, services, and people to stimulate development and cooperation. Moreover, he called for an enabling environment to empower the private sector, remove trade barriers, and create necessary conditions for investment, entrepreneurship, and innovation to flourish.
As President Tinubu concluded his tenure at the 67th ECOWAS Summit, he handed over the Emblem to the newly elected Chair of ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, Maada Bio, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone.
Delivering his inaugural speech, President Bio promised to prioritise four key areas, namely: restoring constitutional order and deepening democracy, revitalising regional security cooperation, unlocking economic integration, and building institutional credibility.
Other speakers included Leonardo Santos Simão, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), and Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security of the African Union Commission.