ECOWAS Commission holds technical meeting for the establishment of economic and social council in west Africa

The ECOWAS Commission, through the Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security (PAPS), is holding a technical session to advance the course of the establishment of an Economic and Social Council of West Africa (ECOWAS-ECOSOC), beginning from the 26th of June 2025 in Niger state, Nigeria.

The two-day meeting brings together officials from the relevant ECOWAS Departments, Directorates and Divisions, including consultants and partners charged with building on the earlier phases of consultations within the context of the wider efforts aimed at consolidating democracy, peace and security while strengthening political stability, security, participatory governance and citizen’s inclusion in the region.

In his opening remarks, the ECOWAS Commission’s Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security Amb Abdel-Fatau Musah charged participants to be mindful of the goal of an ECOWAS-ECOSOC which is to constitute that bridge of a powerful voice to interface with decision makers and at the same time being a reverse influential organ of citizenry engagement.
He noted that the idea of an ECOSOC for ECOWAS is to mutually reinforce everyone through an institutionalized people’s organ with a facilitating platform that is a voice of the regional community’s farmers, young people’s organisations, non-governmental organizations, women, youth and professional groups, etc.

The Commissioner added that through ECOWAS-ECOSOC as an authentic voice of the people, “we are our own architects, the People’s social wellbeing in order to truly attain a people-centered development. The benefits will be for all as the proposed organ should be insulated from the control of national governments being an authentic voice of the people” He added.

Following the welcome address by the Ag Head, Mediation and Coordination of Regional Political Affairs Mr. Constant Gnacadja, the facilitator and former Vice President of the ECOWAS Commission H.E Toga Gayewea McIntosh gave an overview of the previous consultative meetings.

There were also goodwill messages from the representatives of ECOWAS Commission’s partners- the African Union, the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) as well as the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice.

At the meeting, participants will examine, among others, the justification of ECOSOC, membership and eligibility criteria, structure and sustainability.

A firmly established ECOWAS-ECOSOC is seen as movement that can play a crucial role in identifying emerging social and economic trends and issues by strengthening the use of dialogue, advocacy, as well as policy recommendations in the resolution of common challenges of poverty, inequality, political instability, environmental difficulties and conflict.

The technical meeting builds on the foundations laid by the earlier held Internal consultative Meeting of ECOWAS Staff, which took place on the 12th to 13th of December 2023 in Lagos, the regional consultative meeting of civil society organisations that happened on the 22nd and 23rd of February 2024 in Abuja and the experts’ group meeting which held on the 12th and 13th of June 2024, in Cotonou, Republic of Benin.