‘Let our citizens feel the impact’ — Tinubu asks ECOWAS leaders to match policies with action

President Bola Tinubu has urged Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) leaders to match policies with actions for real impact on citizens.

Tinubu spoke in Lagos on Wednesday during the commemorative ceremony marking ECOWAS’ 50th anniversary.

He said the regional bloc is lagging in policy implementation and urged member states to turn plans into action.

Tinubu highlighted the organisation’s achievements, noting its efforts in expanding trade, restoring constitutional order, and launching bold strategies to enhance food security and promote regional development.

“Our region has pioneered a free movement, expanded intra-trade, regional trade and deepened integration. These measures have facilitated business, cultural heritages and mobility across West Africa,” he said.

“Of peace and security, ECOWAS has acted decisively to restore constitutional order and counter instability. Our regional cooperation on counterterrorism and financial crime reflects our shared commitment to peace and safety.

“In governance, ECOWAS has upheld democratic norms through election observations, mediation and institutions such as ECOWAS’s parliament and court of justice.

“In agriculture and infrastructure, we have launched bold strategies to address our food security and to drive our regional development. The ECOWAS infrastructure master plan 2020-2045 provides a framework for connectivity, trade and prosperity.

“Despite our progress, challenges remain. Our greatest task now is implementation. We are lagging behind on implementation, and I urge all member states to match policy with action.

“Let all our citizens feel the real impact of our shared efforts.”

The president, who is also the ECOWAS chairman, called on member states to place young people and women — who make up the majority of the region’s population — at the centre of development efforts through deliberate investments in education, entrepreneurship, healthcare, and leadership.

“We must mentor them. Their success is the key to the future and stability and prosperity of ECOWAS,” Tinubu added.

Looking ahead to the next 50 years, Tinubu urged renewed unity and determination among member states to promote trade and confront all forms of challenges.

‘ECOWAS IS UNSUNG HERO AMONG REGIONAL ECONOMIC COMMUNITIES’

Yusuf Tuggar, Nigeria’s minister of foreign affairs and chairman of the ECOWAS council of ministers, described the community as the “unsung hero” among regional economic communities in Africa.

Tuggar commended the ongoing reform process under Tinubu’s leadership, saying it is enhancing the implementation of ECOWAS objectives and paving the way for legal and regulatory convergence towards a customs union and common currency.

“We are also aware that ECOWAS is the unsung hero among the regional economic communities with its funding mechanism, the community levy, that others actually even seek to emulate,” the minister said.

“Under President Tinubu’s leadership, the reform process has continued to make implementation of ECOWAS objectives more efficacious, fostering legal and regulatory convergence towards a customs union and common currency among member states.”

Tuggar addressed the withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger from ECOWAS, describing democracy as “a process, not an event” and expressing confidence that the countries would return to the regional bloc.