As the Economic Community of West African States marks its 50th anniversary, regional leaders and policymakers have called for unity, institutional reform and renewed commitment to the bloc’s founding ideals amid political and security challenges confronting the subregion.
Speaking at Future Proofing Regional Integration in Africa: The African Public Square Debate in Abuja on Friday, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Ambassador Abdel-Fatah Musah, said the anniversary presented a moment for “deep reflection, partnership and renewal.”
Representing the ECOWAS Commission President, Dr Omar Touray, the commissioner commended the collaboration between the Africa Leadership Centre, the Amandla Institute and the Mandela Institute for Policy and Leadership Advancement, describing the event as “a very important public square that promises to help shape ECOWAS’ future course.”
Reflecting on ECOWAS’ journey since its founding in 1975 by Generals Yakubu Gowon of Nigeria and Gnassingbé Eyadéma of Togo, Musah said the bloc’s early success lay in uniting diverse colonial and linguistic legacies—Francophone, Anglophone and Lusophone—into a single regional organisation.
He traced ECOWAS’ evolution through three key phases: its founding during the Cold War, its response to post-Cold War civil conflicts in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Côte d’Ivoire and its current test amid renewed insecurity and democratic backsliding.
“West Africa finds itself at a very critical juncture in its evolution. We have a crisis of security and a crisis of democracy today. Democracy is in crisis, and it doesn’t seem like leaders have learned their lesson,” he said.
Musah cautioned against what he described as a “hollowing out of competitiveness” in electoral politics, where governments suppress opposition through exclusionary tactics.
“Today’s popular method of capture is by member states eliminating dangerous opponents—whether political parties or candidates—from the electoral process.
“That is one of the reasons some member states decided to leave ECOWAS,” the commissioner noted.
He added that insecurity across the Sahel had worsened, intensifying pressure on the bloc to adapt.
“We have to ask ourselves: where do we go from here? This is why ECOWAS has begun a series of introspections, leading toward a citizen-led process that will result in a new pact defining our regional direction over the next 15 years”, he said.
Musah also emphasised the centrality of young people and civil society in shaping the region’s future. “This generation must discover its mission—either to fulfil it or to betray it.
“The youth are not just the leaders of tomorrow; they are the drivers of change today,” the commissioner stated.
In his remarks, Co-founder of the Amandla Institute and former Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, described the debate as “a timely and critical conversation on the shifting dynamics of change within ECOWAS, the deepening security and governance challenges in the subregion, and the future of regional integration in West Africa and Africa as a whole.”
Fayemi warned that ECOWAS risked becoming “remote from the peoples of West Africa” unless it undertook bold reforms to make the organisation more citizen-driven.
“There is an urgent need for a citizen-centred approach that responds to the real concerns of ordinary West Africans.
“It is evident that traditional military strategies alone are inadequate in tackling the complex threats posed by insurgent and terrorist groups,” the former governor stated.
He cautioned against military takeovers as a response to governance failures, noting that insecurity had only worsened in countries under military rule.
Fayemi advised, “The regional body cannot continue business as usual. It must evolve to reflect the realities on the ground and to renew trust with its citizens.”
Vice President for International, Engagement and Services at King’s College London, Professor Funmi Olonisakin, called for a complete reinvention of the West African integration project, arguing that the time has come to rethink regional cooperation 50 years after the founding of ECOWAS.
Founded in 1975 to promote economic integration, free movement, and political cooperation among its 15 member states, ECOWAS has since played key roles in peacekeeping missions and defending democratic governance.
However, a spate of military coups in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Niger, as well as persistent economic challenges, have tested the bloc’s unity at 50