The ECOWAS Commission is holding a regional meeting on the establishment of an Economic, Social and Cultural Council in West Africa (ECOSOCC-WA) on the 22nd and 23rd of February in Abuja, Nigeria.

The two-day meeting which is being organized by the Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security (PAPS) and supported by the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), aims to galvanise a responsive regional civil society, jointly lay a solid foundation for the creation of a re-gionwide citizens Council for the promotion of a more inclusive and participatory system of gover-nance, among others.

West Africa faces several shared challenges, including poverty, inequality, political instability, environmental issues, and conflicts. A regional ECOSOCC-WA is meant to help identify and address these challenges through dialogue, advocacy, and policy recommendations. It can act as a catalyst for regional cooperation and collective action, leveraging the expertise and resources of civil society organizations to tackle these complex issues more effectively.

The implementation of the ECOSOCC-WA will also enable West African civil society to contribute directly to regional policies and initiatives, while amplifying their voices and ensuring at the same time that the concerns of the region’s citizens on burning national, regional, and global issues are taken into account.

Participants at the meeting which will include impactful civil society organisations, development experts and officials of the ECOWAS Commission and Institutions, are also to help steer the rebirth of an active civil society movement to create space, networks, and conditions within Member States and the region for the promotion and consolidation of human security through a regional representation of the specific needs and interests of regional citizens.

The Abuja meeting is an off-shoot of the internal consultative Workshop on the establishment of ECOSOCC-WA which held in Lagos, Nigeria, on the 12th and 13th of December, 2023.