President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday lauded the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for fostering regional integration, but said the subregional body still faces security threats, political instability and infrastructural deficit.
The president, represented by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu, spoke in Accra, Ghana, at the launch of a series of events to mark the regional body’s golden jubilee.
Tinubu, also the Chairman of the ECOWAS Authorities of Heads of State and Government, said ECOWAS has remained true to the bold vision created by its founding fathers and is a beacon of hope for the region’s over 400 million citizens.
He said: “Today, we celebrate numerous remarkable achievements that distinguish ECOWAS as the most successful regional economic community on the African continent. In five decades, we have established one of Africa’s most vibrant free trade areas, fostering intra-regional commerce and lifting millions from poverty”.
He, however, noted that the journey over the past five decades has not been without challenges.
He added: “We have faced political instability, economic hardship, infrastructural deficits and security threats. But we remain undaunted. Despite our shared vision, too many of our citizens still live in poverty, too many of our children lack access to quality education, and too many of our youth remain unemployed, disillusioned, or forced to seek opportunities abroad”.
Tinubu urged ECOWAS members to reimagine the organisation as a community of people and not merely as a community of states, where the region must invest in education, innovation and skills development to unleash the full potential of Africa’s future.
He also called for deepening economic cooperation, support for intra-regional trade, noting that all hands must be on deck to ensure that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) becomes a vehicle for genuine transformation.
On his part, President John Mahama of Ghana said that community citizens must feel that ECOWAS is not just some bureaucracy but a living organisation that understands their hopes and aspirations.
He also announced that Ghana will offer 1,000 scholarships to university students across the ECOWAS subregion to enhance educational opportunities for young people in West Africa.
During the launch, ECOWAS unveiled its official Golden Jubilee logo and theme, setting the tone for a year-long series of commemorative events.
Deji Elumoye and Michael Olugbode
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