Leaders Urge Stronger Political Will, Economic Integration, and Security Cooperation Across West Africa
West African leaders have rallied around in their vision of unity, prosperity, and peace as the 2025 First Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament opened in Abuja on Monday.
With the region facing mounting political, economic, and security challenges, lawmakers stressed that only through shared sacrifice and deeper collaboration between citizens and governments will lasting progress be achieved.
The session, which runs from May 20 to May 31, is considered timely for the region, as ECOWAS grapples with internal divisions, economic uncertainties, growing security and political threats.
In his opening remarks, President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, highlights the urgency to restore the region’s values.
“Our region is being tested,” he said. “But we must remain focused on the welfare of our citizens, even as we navigate the difficult process of member withdrawals.”
Dr. Touray praised the ECOWAS Parliament’s proactive stance, including the Banjul Appeal, which urges nations planning to exit the bloc to reconsider and stay committed to the regional family.
He further raised the alarm over the misuse of artificial intelligence in spreading unrest, calling on lawmakers to strengthen their advocacy on the emerging threats to safeguard West Africa.
Also, Nigeria’s Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, delivering the keynote address, lauded ECOWAS’s achievements but warned that the region’s stability and progress remained fragile.
He called for urgent reforms to boost trade, industrialise local economies, and fast-track the adoption of a common regional currency.
“Security is the bedrock of sustainable development,” Akpabio declared. “To defeat insurgency, organised crime, and political instability, we must also tackle their root causes, inequality, unemployment, and tribal divisions, through education and youth empowerment.”
Meanwhile, Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Hadja Memounatou Ibrahima, stressed with optimism and resolve, highlighting the Parliament’s packed agenda.
According to her, the session marks the institution’s 25th anniversary, a milestone that will include reviews of key integration efforts and institutional reforms.
“We are committed to transparency, good governance, and synergy between our institutions,” she said.
Adding to strengthening this call for unity, Dr. William Towah, representing the ECOWAS Court of Justice, emphasised the need for closer ties between the Court and the Parliament.
He called on lawmakers to champion legal harmonisation, human rights, and justice across member states, urging stronger enforcement of Court rulings.
As the two-week session unfolds, it is expected to serve as a vital platform for strategic dialogue and decisive action, reinforcing ECOWAS’s mission to build a more secure, prosperous, and united West Africa for generations to come.