New ECOWAS president pledges cooperation with breakaway Sahel states

New ECOWAS president, Birame Diop, has pledged to deepen cooperation with Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, who recently quit regional and formed a parallel bloc, the Alliance of Sahel States.

Mr Diop said this during his formal inauguration as president alongside a new management for the ECOWAS Commission on Monday in Abuja.

Mr Diop was earlier confirmed in July by ECOWAS leaders during the 69th Ordinary Session of the Conference of Heads of State and Government. According to him, ECOWAS must urgently strengthen internal cohesion and deepen engagement with the breakaway member states, stressing that ECOWAS is at a crossroads.

He said that geographical proximity, shared security and socioeconomic challenges had made such cooperation even more imperative.

Mr Diop noted that ECOWAS and the AES countries share about 5,250 kilometres of borders and would continue to have extensive interactions among their populations. He further identified terrorism, irregular migration, organised transboundary crime and environmental challenges as common threats, which require coordinated responses from both sides.

Former ECOWAS Commission president Omar Touray described the handover as an affirmation of confidence in the regional organisation, stressing that institutions must remain stronger than individuals.

He said the preceding management had bequeathed numerous achievements, including progress on major regional infrastructure and connectivity projects such as the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline and the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Highway.

Mr Touray said his achievements included regional electricity interconnection, trade and transport corridors, economic and monetary integration, preparations for the launch of the ECO currency in 2027, and programmes targeting food security, youth, women, education and skills development.

He said the West African Rice Investment Roundtable, for instance, was an initiative that generated an investment pipeline of about $1.54 billion, including $1.47 billion in firm commitments.

He also highlighted the connection of rural communities to national electricity grids under the regional electricity access project and progress on the regional battery storage programme, among others.
President Bola Tinubu, represented by deputy foreign affairs minister Sola Enikanolaiye, urged the new ECOWAS leadership to prioritise regional integration, financial accountability, peace and security.

According to him, the leadership transition at ECOWAS is an affirmation of continuity in the collective pursuit of regional integration.

(NAN)