Commissioner Prof. Fatou Sow SARR participates in Dakar in the press conference on the launch of the first edition of the West African Festival of Arts and Culture (ECOFEST) and the inaugural conference on intellectual property in sport in Senegal

Senegal will host the first edition of the West African Festival of Arts and Culture (ECOFEST) in November 2025. In this context, a joint press conference was held on Friday 30 May 2025 in Dakar by the Senegalese Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, Khady Diène GAYE, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Human Development and Social Affairs, Prof. Fatou SOW SARR, and the UEMOA Commissioner in charge of the Human Development Department, Mamadu Seri-fo JAQUITE, in the presence of H.E. Ms. Zelma Fassinou, ECOWAS Resident Representative in Senegal.

Under the theme: “Socio-political changes and crises in West Africa: what can culture do?”, this major cultural event, scheduled for November 2025 in Senegal, the country of Teranga, is being organised jointly by the Commissions of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), in partnership with the Republic of Senegal.

In her speech at the press conference, Minister Khady Diène Gaye expressed her satisfaction with the choice of Senegal to host the first edition of this important artistic and cultural gathering, which will bring together the peoples of West Africa. She affirmed her country’s commitment to ensuring the success of the festival by mobilising all the necessary resources in partnership with ECOWAS and UEMOA.

For UEMOA Commissioner Mamadu Serifo JAQUITE, ECOFEST is an opportunity to promote the cultural industries of the West African region and make them a powerful economic driver, contributing to the development of the region.

Speaking after Commissioner JAQUITE, Prof Fatou Sow Sarr, ECOWAS Commissioner for Human Development and Social Affairs, looked back on the history of ECOFEST, which has had its ups and downs, but whose organisation should make it possible to celebrate integration, social cohesion, peace and socio-economic and cultural development in the West African region through artistic performances, artistic competitions, art and craft exhibitions, but also and above all through professional meetings to reflect on current issues that highlight the contribution of culture to the development of our Community, especially in its current context.

It should be noted that on the morning of Friday, 30 May 2025, Prof. Fatou SOW Sarr represented the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Alieu Touray, at the high-level conference for the development of a national intellectual property strategy in sport in Senegal.

In her speech at the opening ceremony of the Conference, Prof. Fatou Sow SARR, on behalf of ECOWAS, paid a glowing tribute to His Excellency Mr BASSIROU Diomaye Diakhar Faye, President of the Republic of Senegal, as well as to the Government and people of Senegal, and reaffirmed the unwavering commitment of the West African regional organisation to collaborative efforts and synergies that place sport, culture, innovation and technology at the heart of ECOWAS’ development programmes for regional integration.

The aim of this meeting on intellectual property in sport is to lay the groundwork for equipping Senegal with a strategy for developing intellectual property in the field of sport with a view to promoting its economic impact, enabling players in the sports ecosystem to capitalise on their product with new sources of revenue and attracting private investment.

As a reminder, ECOFEST is a space for meetings, exchanges, sharing and promotion of West African cultural wealth. This festival will highlight various artistic expressions such as music, dance, theatre, visual arts, literature and many other disciplines. It aims to strengthen regional cohesion by promoting diversity and creativity.

The main objective of ECOFEST is to ‘promote integration, social cohesion, peace, and socio-economic and cultural development in the West African region.’