The 7th Retreat of ECOWAS Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC), taking place from 17 to 19 June 2026 in Cotonou, Benin, was officially opened on Wednesday 17 June 2026 by H.E. Damtien TCHINTCHIBIDJA, Vice-President, on behalf of H.E. Dr Omar Alieu TOURAY, President of the ECOWAS Commission. The event was attended by Ambassador Franck-Armel AFOUKOU, Secretary-General representing the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Benin; H.E. Julius SANDY, Ambassador of Sierra Leone and Chair of COREP; the Ambassadors who are members of PRC; Technical Directors; and other key personnel from the ECOWAS Commission.

Defined as a fundamental “reset” of the West African integration project, marking the transition from an elite-driven political bloc to an “ECOWAS of the People”, the Pact for the Future of Regional Integration is a strategic and normative instrument designed to operationalise the ECOWAS Vision 2050.

This initiative stems from paragraph 43 of the Final Communiqué of the 65th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Conference of Heads of State and Government, held on 7 July 2024 in Abuja, which states: “In view of developments in the political and security situation at regional and global levels, the Authority of Heads of State instructs the Commission to organise an extraordinary summit on the future of regional integration in West Africa, taking into account the state of governance, peace and security, as well as the regional integration project…. Furthermore, the Authority instructs the Commission to promote in-depth reflection on the relationship between electoral processes, democracy and development, and to take measures aimed at stepping up efforts to achieve the objectives of Vision 2050.”

In accordance with this recommendation, ECOWAS has launched, as part of its 50^th anniversary celebrations, a series of consultations with experts and social, professional and political stakeholders from all sectors in the Member States and the diaspora to draw up a draft Pact for the Future of Regional Integration, a document which will be submitted to the Heads of State for approval at a forthcoming Summit on the Future of ECOWAS.

Following its review by the Directors and Heads of ECOWAS institutions, the draft document is the focus of the three-day retreat of the Permanent Representatives of the Member States, whose task is to discuss and propose amendments to the draft Pact for the Future of Regional Integration.

In his welcome address delivered on behalf of H.E. Ms Corinne Amori BRUNET, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Benin, Ambassador Franck Armel AFOUKOU noted that this meeting comes at a pivotal moment in the history of ECOWAS, as the organisation celebrates its fiftieth anniversary, against a backdrop of profound changes and challenges of unprecedented scale that call into question its foundations, its functioning and its ability to adapt. In his view, the chosen theme, ‘The Future of ECOWAS’, “resonates as a call for collective responsibility and clear-sightedness. Amidst persistent security challenges, economic pressures, governance crises, geopolitical realignments and institutional breakdowns observed in our region, it seems imperative to rethink our organisation in order to strengthen its credibility and effectiveness in serving the peoples of West Africa.”

In his address as Chair of COREP, Ambassador Julius SANDY, Permanent Representative of Sierra Leone, stated that after 50 years of progress but also of significant challenges, it is only natural that we should return to the ‘negotiating table’ to rethink and revitalise the Community we all aspire to: “a strong, productive, protective and economically prosperous Community, without borders. A Community with a single currency. A Community based on knowledge and competitive within the international community. A Community with a transparent and competitive model of governance.”

Officially declaring the retreat open, H.E. Damtien TCHINTCHIBIDJA emphasised the importance of the Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREP) in promoting economic cooperation and integration. She pointed out that, whilst many challenges lie ahead for ECOWAS, it is equally important and necessary to celebrate the achievements that have marked our community’s collective progress. Speaking about the Pact for the Future of Regional Integration, the Vice-President of the ECOWAS Commission noted that “it is deliberately forward-looking, as it is specifically designed to focus on the thematic priorities that will decisively shape the trajectory of our region until 2050 and well beyond”.

The Pact for the Future of Regional Integration is structured around six interdependent pillars: 1- Sustainable economic transformation; 2- Peace, security and democratic governance; 3- Science, technology and innovation; 4- Youth, women and future generations; 5- Institutional reform and implementation; and 6- Geopolitical positioning and the strategic autonomy of ECOWAS.