Under the High Patronage of Mr Romuald WADAGNI, Minister of Economy and Finance of Benin, H.E. Ambassador Amadou DIONGUE, Resident Representative of ECOWAS, presided over the opening ceremony of the Village du Cinquantenaire on Wednesday, 12^th of November 2025, at the Palais des Congrès in Cotonou, in the presence of Mr Alban Bienvenu BESSAN, Secretary General of the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

Organised as part of the regional organisation’s 50th anniversary celebrations, this event brought together representatives of sectoral ministries, state institutions, national deputies and ECOWAS parliamentarians, members of the diplomatic corps, civil society, as well as teachers and students who took part in the preparatory art workshops.

The Village du Cinquantenaire, scheduled for 12^th to 14^th of November 2025, offers a series of activities: an opening ceremony, the “ECOWAS of the Peoples” fair, art and culinary exhibitions, and a cultural evening.

The opening ceremony featured speeches by the ECOWAS Resident Representative and the Secretary General of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, followed by a cultural interlude, a ribbon-cutting ceremony, the presentation of a mobile mural dedicated to the organisation’s 50th anniversary, a tour of the exhibition stands and the presentation of awards to participating students.

In his speech, Ambassador Amadou DIONGUE praised the community’s mobilisation, emphasising that it boded well for the success of the planned activities. For his part, Mr Alban Bienvenu BESSAN recalled the challenges that still needed to be addressed collectively in order to fully realise the ideal of regional integration.

The ceremony concluded with an inaugural conference on the theme: “ECOWAS of the peoples: Context, concept and reality”, led by renowned experts, including Professor Robert DOSSOU and Dr Gilles YABI from the WATHI Think Tank, who traced the evolution of ECOWAS since its creation.