By Florence Joshua
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has unveiled a six-pillar strategic initiative known dubbed the “Compact for the Future of Regional Integration,” aimed at strengthening unity, economic growth, democratic governance, and regional security across West Africa.
The initiative was presented by the ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Abdel-Fatau Musah during the ongoing First Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament in Abuja.
According to Musah, the strategy represents a major shift in the region’s integration agenda and is intended to reposition ECOWAS in response to growing political instability, economic pressures, insecurity, and emerging geopolitical challenges within the subregion.
He said the compact is designed to operationalise the ECOWAS Vision 2050 and move the bloc from what he described as an “ECOWAS of States” to an “ECOWAS of the Peoples,” where citizens directly benefit from regional integration through improved security, economic opportunities, mobility, and digital connectivity.
Musah noted that ECOWAS is currently facing one of the most difficult periods in its history since its establishment in 1975, citing governance failures, democratic setbacks, military coups, and the rise of alternative alliances such as the Alliance of Sahel States involving Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.
He disclosed that the initiative was adopted by the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government during a summit in Abuja, where regional leaders also proposed a Special Summit on the Future of Regional Integration.
The commissioner added that the framework was developed through consultations with citizens across West Africa, civil society organisations, the African diaspora, ECOWAS institutions, and political leaders.
The compact is structured around six major pillars, including sustainable economic transformation, peace and democratic governance, science and technology, social inclusion, institutional reform, and geopolitical positioning.
Under the economic transformation pillar, ECOWAS aims to increase intra-regional trade to 30 per cent by 2035, strengthen industrialisation and food sovereignty, and implement the ECO single currency by 2040.
On governance and security, the regional bloc reaffirmed zero tolerance for military coups and unconstitutional changes of government while proposing a stronger ECOWAS Standby Force to tackle emerging security threats.
The science and technology component of the strategy seeks to establish a Digital Single Market by 2030 to improve digital connectivity and economic innovation across member states.
Meanwhile, the social inclusion pillar aims to increase women’s representation in leadership positions to 40 per cent while promoting stronger youth participation in governance and decision-making processes.
The proposed reforms also seek to make ECOWAS institutions more accountable, merit-driven, and financially independent through full funding from the Community Levy by 2030.
Musah further explained that the compact emphasises strategic autonomy, positioning ECOWAS as a unified regional actor capable of defending West Africa’s sovereignty and interests in an increasingly complex global environment.
The initiative also proposes dialogue and confidence-building measures with the Sahel states of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger to prevent their permanent exit from ECOWAS.
To address longstanding implementation challenges, the compact introduces monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, including compliance scorecards for member states and evidence-based policy tracking systems.
Parliamentarians at the session extensively debated the implications and future impact of the proposed strategy on regional integration and governance in West Africa.
Leave a Reply