Amandla Institute will convene a high-level reflection conference of leaders in Abuja from June 24 to 25, 2025.
The event, themed ‘ECOWAS at 50: A High-Level Reflection Conference of Leaders’, is part of activities commemorating the golden jubilee of the regional bloc.
According to a statement by Amandla Institute, the two-day event will provide an opportunity for deep introspection on the milestones, challenges, and prospects of regional integration and cooperation in West Africa.
“At the heart of the conference is an urgent conversation on the current state and future of ECOWAS, particularly in light of the recent withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, and the formation of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), which poses a critical challenge to regional unity,” the statement reads.
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“Speakers and panellists will engage in a series of thematic sessions covering the origins and evolution of ECOWAS, economic integration efforts, peace and security interventions, the role of regional institutions such as the ECOWAS Parliament and Court of Justice, and the changing geopolitical landscape affecting West Africa.”
The gathering will bring together some of the region’s most influential figures to critically examine its journey over the past five decades and chart a course for its future.
Among the distinguished participants are Yakubu Gowon, former Nigerian head of state and a founding father of ECOWAS; Mohammed Ibn Chambas, first president of the ECOWAS commission; Abass Bundu, third executive secretary of the ECOWAS secretariat; Omar Touray, current president of the ECOWAS commission; and Kayode Fayemi, co-founder of the Amandla Institute and former governor of Ekiti State, Nigeria.
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Also participating are prominent former ECOWAS officials, parliamentarians, jurists, and political leaders from across West Africa.
