By Iddi Yire

Accra, April 17, GNA – The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is set to hold a special Summit, seeking to address the numerous challenges facing the regional body.

The focus would be on the Future of Regional Integration in West Africa and Multilateralism.

Dr Abdel-Fatau Musah, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, made the disclosure in his keynote address at a High-Level Policy Dialogue organised by the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), in collaboration with the Social Science Research Council’s African Peacebuilding Network (APN) and the Conflict Research Network (CORN) West Africa.

It was on the theme “Understanding Geopolitical and Strategic Changes in West Africa: Emerging Challenges and the Future of West Africa”.

It broadly sought to provide a platform for stakeholders to reflect deeply on the innovative frameworks and mechanisms capable of addressing the emerging challenges in West Africa in the medium to long-term, within the context of relevant Articles of the 1993 ECOWAS Revised Treaty and changing geopolitical and strategic context in the region.

Dr Musah said on the eve of the 50th Anniversary of its existence, the ECOWAS brand as the pioneer Regional Economic Community, had been captivated by its daring interventions and successes, as well as standard setting in diverse spheres of Community life.

He mentioned some examples such as inclusive regional economic integration, norm setting, innovative internal resource mobilisation techniques, peacemaking and peacebuilding.

“And there is the cause to celebrate these remarkable achievements. However, as in all human endeavours, ECOWAS’s trajectory has not always been linear and upward but uneven, with lows and highs as this presentation has sought to portray, which calls for sober introspection, rectification and repositioning towards the future,” Dr Musah said.

He stated that “with this in mind, the Authority of Heads of State and Government has directed the Commission to facilitate the commemoration of this milestone on two tracks- celebratory and reflective,” he added.

Dr Musah reiterated that the celebratory aspect during its anniversary, would involve showcasing ECOWAS achievements, the Community’s cultural unity and diversity, outreach engagements, publicity, honouring deserving sons and daughters and renewing its commitment to the regional integration project.

“The festive activities will be launched here in Accra, next week and will be observed in all Member State, culminating in Lagos, Nigeria, where the ECOWAS Treaty was adopted on 28 May 1975,” the Commissioner said.

Mr Musah stated further that the reflection aspect would entail bottom-up deliberations across the Region on all aspects of the regional integration project.

He said the key actors would be citizens across all spectrums of endeavour including traditional and regional leaders; civil society organisations, the media, opinion leaders; women and youth; academic and research institutions, the private sector and organised labour.

The thematic areas provisionally include but not limited to: Interrogating the approach to regional peace, security and stability; Democracy, Constitutionalism and Good Governance; and Pathways to sustainable and inclusive development, industrialization and regional integration.

Others are Financing the Agricultural Sector; Digital Transformation, New Technologies, AI and Social Media; and Partnerships in the Era of Multipolarity.

It is anticipated that the key outcomes of the exercise will be synthesised into a Compact that will be scaled up for adoption by the ECOWAS decision-making organs at a Special Summit on the Future of Regional Integration.

Dr Musah said in essence, the Special Summit would serve as a rallying point for people across the region to reimagine and recommit to a collective path forward, embracing regional integration as the bedrock of a shared future.

While the preparation for the holding of the Special Summit is still at the planning stage, Dr Musah has given an assurance that WANEP, APN and CORN and other regional CSO networks would be actively involved in the events, consultations, and meetings leading to this historic Summit.

He said the great ideas that would be harnessed at the meeting, would certainly find their way into some of the reflections and discussions to be adopted as part of

the preparatory documents to be considered by the Authority for the Summit, he said.

GNA

CAA