Vice President, Commission for the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS Commission), Damtien Larbli Tchintchibidja, yesterday, disclosed that the official exit of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso from the regional bloc, had taught the leadership of the community to speed up necessary reforms needed to adapt to the new realities.

Speaking at the opening of the 37th Ordinary Meeting of the ECOWAS Administration and Finance Committee, holding in Abuja, she appealed to member states’ sense of responsibility towards such reforms.

Noting that ECOWAS was currently going through an existential crisis and at a crossroads, the Vice President called for a strong capacity to overcome the obstacles standing in its way of integration.

According to her, the region can only witness development when there is peace and stability, stressing that its strength lies in unity, solidarity and fraternity.

The three-day forum is to evaluate the mid-term implementation of the decisions, programmes, projects and activities of the community’s institutions as well as the official withdrawal of three of its member states.

The Commissioner, Internal Service, Prof Nazifi A. Darma, feared that the new world order created by the United States of America and the consequent withdrawal of USAID assistance across most of West African countries was likely to be reciprocated by other development partners.

In his opening remarks, Chairman, Administration and Finance Committee, ECOWAS, Amb. Olawale Emmanuel Awe, expressed the need for the remaining member states to pay their levies and dues for effecting running of the commission’s programmes and activities as well as block the vacuum created by the exit of three members.