The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament has issued an urgent call to regional leaders to confront the bloc’s mounting challenges, warning that peace cannot be taken for granted across the sub-region.
Speaker Memounatou Ibrahima made the appeal Monday while opening the two-week 2026 First Ordinary Session in Abuja, where new parliamentarians are being sworn in and country reports presented ahead of a special summit on regional integration.
“Let us make this session a decisive turning point in our efforts to strengthen our democracies and fulfil the promise of effective, visible regional integration for our peoples,” Ibrahima said.
The Speaker emphasized that democracy remains “the unshakeable foundation of our Community” and urged leaders to exercise caution and responsibility when handling emerging threats, particularly in politically fragile member states.
“The task before us is immense, but our determination is unwavering,” she added.
Ibrahima highlighted persistent threats including terrorism, piracy, cross-border crime, and climate change, describing them as challenges requiring coordinated regional action.
She specifically condemned terrorist attacks carried out on April 25, 2026, in several localities in the Republic of Mali, expressing solidarity with the Malian people.
The Speaker also called on Guinea-Bissau’s authorities “to demonstrate responsibility by restoring constitutional order” in that country.
Ibrahima noted that the session is taking place amid global turmoil, with violent conflicts in the Middle East, Europe, and Africa worsening the sub-region’s problems.
“These crises, with their troubling energy implications, are also driving inflationary pressures, particularly on foodstuffs and agricultural inputs, thereby seriously affecting our already fragile economies,” she said.
“Faced with the multiplication of flashpoints, no region is immune. The message must be clear: peace cannot be decreed. It must be patiently built through dialogue, cooperation and mutual respect.”
Tajudeen Abbas, Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, warned that West Africa faces “a defining moment” with democratic governance under existential threat.
Abbas cited declining voter participation, waning public trust, and a resurgence of unconstitutional changes of government as warning signs.
He called for the ECOWAS Parliament to “evolve beyond its advisory role to a stronger legislative authority,” with improved oversight powers and a more direct role in regional decision-making.