The Executive Director Conflict Research Network West Africa Dr. Timipere Allison has challenged the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) to evolve into a more inclusive, resilient, and responsive institution.
Worried by the shifting geopolitical configuration and its implications for peace and development, Dr Allison emphasised the need for ECOWAS to ‘remain a robust platform for democratic consolidation, peacebuilding, and sustainable development’ in the sub-region.
This, he said, is critical in navigating the current situation in the sub-region.
The CORN West Africa Director made the assertion in a press release signed by the Communications Director of the network, Professor Oludayo Tade, and made available to newsmen.
According to the release, CORN West Africa, collaborated with the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) and the African Peacebuilding Network (APN), to convene a high-level policy dialogue on April 15–16 in Accra, Ghana, where the evolving geopolitical shifts in West Africa and charting a future path for ECOWAS was assessed.
The dialogue brought together a diverse group of regional experts, policymakers, and civil society actors to explore strategies for addressing the concerns of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), facilitating their reintegration into ECOWAS, and strengthening the regional bloc’s resilience.
The release recalled that the keynoter, Dr. Abdel-Fatau Musah, ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, recalled that despite the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, ECOWAS continues to view them as strategic partners and remains committed to collaborating with them on matters of regional security and stability.
In her earlier opening statement, Mrs. Levinia Addae-Mensah, Executive Director of WANEP, underscored the urgent need for innovative approaches in addressing the growing fragility within ECOWAS. ‘The wave of unconstitutional power takeovers, the persistence of violent extremism, and escalating insecurity—from kidnapping to communal violence—pose serious threats that require strategic and transformative responses,’ she said.
Dr. Cyril Obi, Programme Director of APN and the Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa initiative, highlighted the shared identity of West Africans, asserting that ‘despite the colonial borders that divide us, we are one people.’
Dr. Allison, who maintained, noted that the two-day event, deliberated on regional security threats, the democratic backslide in some member states, and the implications of the AES bloc’s exit from ECOWAS
While stressing that CORN West Africa will continue to partner with relevant associations and organisations towards contributing to peace and development in the sub-region, the CORN Director re-emphasised the need for ECOWAS to centralise the interests of the sub-region in their foreign policy.