Organised by the West Afri­ca Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), it also seeks 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.

Themed: ‘Understanding the Geopolitical and Strategic Changes in West Africa: Emerg­ing Challenges and the Future of ECOWAS.’

Speaking at the opening yesterday, Executive Director of of WANEP, Mrs Levinia Addae-Mensah, Stated that the increasing fragility and fragmen­tation within the Economic Com­munity of West African States (ECOWAS) have created a volatile landscape that demands urgent and innovative responses.

She noted that the unconsti­tutional changes of government, persistent threats of violent extremism interlinked with kid­napping, banditry, and commu­nal violence across the regional boundaries also needs innovative solutions.

“Indeed, the recent exit of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger from ECOWAS, the AES countries is a profound indicator of the deep fractures which we must confront with courage, candour, and com­mitment,” she added.

The Commissioner, Politi­cal Affairs, Peace and Security, ECOWAS, Dr Abdel-Fatau Mu­sah, said ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, at its 66th Ordinary Summit on December 15, 2024, formally acknowledged the decision by Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger to withdraw from the community on January 29, this year.

Even though, he said, the Au­thority has left the door open for the countries automatic reintegra­tion into the Community should in case they have a change of mind by July 29, 2025.

Additionally, he emphasised that ECOWAS has invited the three countries to cooperate with the Community in the security and humanitarian spheres, sources of existential threat to the entire Region.