The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has acknowledged the depth of the crisis confronting West African integration, with its new Commission President, General Birame Diop, declaring that the regional bloc must rebuild its unity and urgently reopen meaningful engagement with Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
Diop, who assumed office on Monday, made the declaration in Abuja at the formal handover ceremony from the outgoing Commission President, Dr Omar Alieu Touray, signalling a potentially significant shift towards reconciliation with the three Sahel countries that withdrew from ECOWAS.
The new ECOWAS chief said the regional organisation could not allow political differences to permanently sever relations with the three countries, arguing that geography, security threats and the economic interdependence of their populations made cooperation unavoidable
“We have no other choice, because our brothers, our neighbours, our comrades have left us, but geography remains the same,” Diop said
His position placed the question of ECOWAS-AES relations at the centre of his administration’s agenda, as the regional bloc seeks to preserve its relevance amid one of the most serious challenges to West African integration since its establishment.
Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger formally withdrew from ECOWAS after years of tensions over military rule, sanctions and the bloc’s approach to constitutional order.
But Diop said the separation had not altered the realities binding the two blocs together.
He disclosed that ECOWAS and the AES countries share about 5,250 kilometres of borders, with millions of people continuing to move, trade and interact across them.
He said terrorism, organised transnational crime, irregular migration and environmental challenges also disregarded political boundaries, making cooperation between ECOWAS and the AES states imperative.
“So we have no other choice than to work in a solidary, concerted manner for the interest of both spaces,” he said.
The new president also warned that ECOWAS itself was “at a crossroads”, urging member states and its institutions to overcome differences and restore confidence in the integration project.
He said the Commission must operate as a united team capable of responding to the security and socioeconomic pressures confronting the region.
“We must have a Commission that is engaged, a Commission that is solidary, a Commission that looks in the same direction,” Diop said.
His call for renewed unity received backing from Nigeria, with the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, urging the new administration to intensify engagement with the AES countries.
Representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Enikanolaiye described Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger as “our brothers and sisters in our shared region and with common challenges and aspirations.”
The Minister’s intervention underscored Nigeria’s apparent preference for keeping the door open to reconciliation, despite the profound political differences that led to the departure of the three Sahel states.
He said ECOWAS must evolve into an “ECOWAS of citizens and not of governments”, arguing that regional integration would have little meaning if ordinary West Africans continued to face barriers to movement, trade, employment and security.
Enikanolaiye, however, warned that Nigeria’s continued financial commitment to ECOWAS must be matched by greater accountability, demanding prudent management of the organisation’s resources and an end to waste and operational leakages.
“For Nigeria, ECOWAS must continue to justify the huge investments and sacrifices that have been made, not just by the government and people of Nigeria, including the payment of community levy, but also by other member states in the sub-region to sustain the organisation,” he said.
The new ECOWAS administration will also inherit the challenge of Guinea-Bissau, where the regional bloc is seeking to resolve a political crisis.
Diop disclosed that ECOWAS leaders had designated Senegal as facilitator following their recent meeting in Lungi, promising that the Commission would work closely with Dakar towards a resolution.
The new President said the implementation of Vision 2050 would provide the framework for rebuilding the organisation, with priorities including institutional efficiency, stronger cohesion, innovative financing and implementation of more than 50 programmes already developed by ECOWAS.
Meanwhile, the outgoing Commission President, Touray, defended the record of his four-year administration, saying it assumed office at a particularly difficult period marked by coups, terrorism, violent extremism, humanitarian crises and economic pressures.
He listed progress on major regional projects, including the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline, Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Highway, electricity interconnection projects and regional trade and transport corridors.
He also cited preparations for the proposed launch of the ECO currency in 2027 and disclosed that the West Africa Rice Investment Roundtable generated an investment pipeline of about $1.54 billion, including $1.47 billion in firm commitments.
Touray said his administration also completed the new ECOWAS headquarters complex in Abuja, supported by China, and the ECOWAS Logistics Depot for peace and support operations in Sierra Leone.
But perhaps the most delicate task inherited by the new leadership, he said, was managing the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger and the subsequent closure and transfer of ECOWAS assets and offices in the affected countries.
Touray urged Diop to remember that ECOWAS ultimately exists for its citizens, not merely its governments.
“Our citizens do not experience ECOWAS through Communiqués and Protocols. They experience ECOWAS when they cross borders without unnecessary obstacles, when they trade with neighbouring countries, when they find employment and their children receive opportunities, when their communities are secure, and when they can move freely across our region,” he said.
He concluded his tenure with a message that could define the challenge facing his successor: “Unity, Continuity, and Hope.”
He added that: “Our borders may divide our territories, but they do not divide our destiny.”
