President Bola Tinubu has lauded the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for fostering regional integration.
 
Represented by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mrs Bianca Ojukwu, yesterday, in Accra, Ghana, at the launch of a series of events to mark ECOWAS golden jubilee, the President said the regional body “has remained true to the bold vision” of its founding fathers and a beacon of hope for its over 400 million citizens.
 
ECOWAS member states met in Ghana yesterday to discuss the withdrawal of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso from the bloc. The meeting will continue today.
 
In a statement, yesterday, the bloc said member states would discuss the modalities of the countries’ withdrawal and its implications for ECOWAS agencies in the countries.
 
The Nigerian leader, who is the Chairman of the ECOWAS Authorities of Heads of State and Government, 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.”
 
However, President Tinubu noted that the journey over the past five decades had not been without challenges.
 
“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.”
 
He urged ECOWAS member states to re-imagine 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.
 
Tinubu called for deepening economic cooperation, support for intra-regional trade, and all hands to be on deck to ensure that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) becomes a vehicle for genuine transformation.
 
President John Mahama of Ghana said community citizens must feel that ECOWAS was 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 sub-region 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.

ECOWAS, at the time, had issued guidelines on its relationship with the three countries and transitional measures, which it said would be reviewed and finalised as the year progressed.