As the ECOWAS Commission marks its 50th anniversary, member countries have been urged to enhance regional integration for economic development and trade.
The Chairman of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government, Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu and Chairman of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Alieu Touray, gave the charge at the event to celebrate the bloc’s fifty years of remarkable achievements in Lagos on Wednesday.
Touray noted that the event was a moment for member countries to evaluate their achievements and challenges and brainstorm strategies for a stronger and brighter future of ECOWAS. He stressed that the Commission in the last five decades have stood together through tougher times but has remained focused and resilient towards actualising mutual regional development.
“ECOWAS is stronger together, together it can build the most integrated regional economic development representing the entire interest of 400 million members of the region”, he said.
Touray noted that as ECOWAS continues the journey of another fifty years, member countries must be more committed to the interest of regional cooperation, ensure gender equity, security and regional integration.
In his address, President Tinubu charged leaders to match bold policy declarations with decisive implementation, stressing that the regional bloc must begin delivering tangible results—especially for youth and women, who form the majority of its population.
The Nigerian leader acknowledged the organisation’s historic achievements in regional integration, trade liberalisation, peacekeeping, and democratic governance. However, he asserted that the next chapter must be defined by action, not promises.
“We are lagging behind on implementation, and I urge all member states to match policy with action. Let our citizens feel the real impact of our shared efforts”, he charged.
The Nigerian leader also appealed for youth empowerment and leadership succession across West Africa. He described young people and women as both the current drivers and future custodians of the region’s progress, urging member states to prioritise their education, entrepreneurship, and leadership development.
“We must mentor them. Their success is the key to the future and stability, and prosperity of ECOWAS. We want to hand a banner without stain to you—the youth of West Africa”, he said.
President Tinubu paid tribute to ECOWAS’ founding fathers, particularly General Yakubu Gowon, Nigeria’s former head of state and the only surviving signatory of the 1975 treaty. He also acknowledged the contributions of former ECOWAS leaders and staff who laid the foundation for regional unity. He praised the bloc’s unification of Anglophone, Francophone, and Lusophone nations, the promotion of free movement across borders, and the creation of key institutions like the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme and the ECOWAS Court of Justice.
Despite these achievements, Tinubu acknowledged the persistent challenges facing the bloc—ranging from security threats and food crises to gaps in policy implementation.
“Our greatest challenge now is implementation. The work of integration is never done. Each generation must carry the flame forward”, he added.
Reaffirming Nigeria’s longstanding leadership role in West Africa, President Tinubu pledged continued support through initiatives like Nigeria’s Technical Aid Corps, which has contributed to regional capacity building for nearly four decades.
“For nearly 40 years, Nigeria has supported regional capacity building. We remain committed to deploying skilled professionals to ECOWAS countries”, he affirmed.
The Nigerian leader also endorsed ECOWAS’ current efforts in critical areas such as regional security, counter-terrorism, digital transformation, and agricultural reform. Tinubu cited initiatives like the ECOWAS Infrastructure Master Plan 2020–2045 and digital platforms such as Ecogo as examples of the bloc’s forward-looking strategies.
He, therefore, charged leaders and citizens alike to imagine and work towards a peaceful, borderless, and prosperous West Africa that leaves no one behind.
“Let us imagine a West Africa where our economies thrive through joint effort… where our people, diverse yet bound by destiny, work together towards peace, prosperity and justice”, he charged.
In his historical narrative, General Gowon recalled that on this day 50 years ago, the Treaty of Lagos was adopted and signed by 15 heads of State of West Africa, establishing ECOWAS, stressing that it would have been 16 States, but Mauritania withdrew just before the Lagos meeting.
According to Gowon, the primary aim and objective of the Treaty was to promote Economic Co-operation and integration between and among the member States, focusing on achieving collective self-sufficiency and improving the citizens’ standard of living – the call for ECOWAS Community of the people not only for its leadership.
“The idea started soon after the civil war, when I went on a thank you visit to member states to thank them for their understanding and support, and was also engaged in, similar bilateral agreement with each President and Head of State of the region then. But with General Gnassingbé Eyadema of Togo, we further discussed extending the idea beyond the bilateral level, to what is happening in some parts of the world, e.g, in Europe, EEC, later EU, ECA in East Africa, Africa and Caribbean organisations.
“We both agreed to get to work at it and got our respective Ministers of Economic and External Affairs to produce a working document for consideration. Prof. Bayo Adedeji, Dr Arikpo from Nigeria and Mr Edem Kodjo and another from Togo and their staff set to work, getting other member States involved to produce a working document for consideration.
“Meanwhile, between me and President Eyadema, we were in constant contact with our other colleagues, English and French speaking President and Heads of States, to get their firm commitment to it and subsequently we succeeded to have the ECOWAS programme launched on 28″ May, 1975 in Lagos as Lagos Treaty”, he explained.
Highlighting ECOWAS had “survived these 50 years with a reasonable success in promoting economic success in area of integration and cooperation among member States as well as achieving ‘Free Movement’ of people, goods and services that encourage cultural exchange and understanding among member states, Gowon said the regional bloc is still faced with “some formidable challenges such as security issues like terrorism, kidnapping, various criminal activities and various ‘activity of man’s inhumanity to man’. The latter is now threatening the future.
“As ECOWAS was hopefully looking forward to a trouble-free peaceful GOLDEN JUBILEE this year, then the bombshell from the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) – Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, withdrew from the Community. This came as a great concern to the Community, which curtailed its 50 years of existence. Sadly, the Community is Celebrating its Jubilee short of the 50 years as a full original membership. But it is 50 years since the majority of the Community and they should be duly celebrated and let us say, Happy Golden Jubilee, ECOWAS.”
The Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, said that ECOWAS has evolved over the years and has established different initiatives to strengthen regional cooperation among member countries. He said that in order to address the language barrier and different colonial experiences among member countries, the ECOWAS Commission initiated a free liberalisation scheme to address the differences in the region.
The Minister stressed that the Lagos-Abidjan free trade corridor, which seeks to provide a free flow of goods and services from Lagos to Dakar, linking other regions, has further enhanced regional corporations and improved regional trade.
The event was attended by the President, Heads of States of Member countries, and members of the diplomatic corps
