A summit of the heads of government of the West African states in ECOWAS, is taking place in Sierra Leone. The Summit brings together Heads of State and Government, ministers, senior government officials, diplomats, development partners, and regional stakeholders from across the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to deliberate on the region’s most pressing priorities, including peace and security, economic integration, democratic governance, trade, infrastructure, and sustainable development.
Many see this as an existential summit. There is a challenge from Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, who have left ECOWAS. But for everyone else there are other direct challenges - economic, security and social. What can ECOWAS do to solve these problems?
The Heads of State and Government of fifteen West African Countries established the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) when they signed the ECOWAS Treaty on the 28th of May 1975 in Lagos, Nigeria.
The Treaty of Lagos was signed by the 15 Heads of State and government of Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Sénégal and Togo, with its stated mission to promote economic integration across the region. The Senegalese President was represented by the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Cabo Verde joined the union in 1977. The only Arabic-speaking Member Mauritania withdrew in December 2000. Mauritania recently signed a new associate-membership agreement in August 2017. On January 29, 2025, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger officially withdrew from ECOWAS.
The current Member States of ECOWAS are Benin, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Sénégal and Togo.
source: commonspace.eu with the Presidency of Sierra Leone, and agencies
