ECOWAS @50: CORNWEST Director Calls for Solidarity to Combat Regional Threats

Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan 

The Executive Director, Conflict Research Network West Africa (CORNWEST), Dr. Timipere Felix Allison, yesterday called on the Economic of West African States (ECOWAS) to mobilise countries in the region to collectively combat violent extremism and the deepening humanitarian pressures.

Allison, made the call while speaking with journalists in Ibadan, at the end of an international conference held in Abuja in partnership with the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), with the theme, ECOWAS at 50: Reimagining Regional Integration for a Resilient, Democratic and Secure West Africa.

While noting that 50 years after the establishment of ECOWAS, the region stands at a crossroads, he said that though the region has experienced remarkable gains in trade, mobility, diplomacy and peacekeeping, it also faces democratic backsliding, a resurgence of coups, violent extremism, climate-induced displacement, deepening humanitarian pressures, and widening socio-economic inequality. 

These layered challenges demand new thinking, evidence-based policymaking, and a renewed commitment to regional solidarity, he said.

According to Allison, the conference participants agreed that, there is a rapid decline of democratic governance in West Africa. This is shown in the rise in military takeovers and in the growing pattern of constitutional, judicial and civilian coups across several states.

He said, ECOWAS has focused on responding to military coups while paying insufficient attention to other forms of unconstitutional changes of government; the security situation in many West African states has deteriorated, resulting in high levels of death, displacement and disruption of livelihoods.

The creation of the Alliance of Sahelian States has deepened political divisions within the region and poses a challenge to regional cooperation.

Climate change and environmental degradation are intensifying pressures on communities, yet ECOWAS has not developed a robust regional approach to these issues. Socio-economic conditions have worsened, with rising poverty and unemployment affecting large youth populations across the region.

To solve these problems, the conference participants, according to him, resolved on the need for ECOWAS to restructure with a view to strengthening itself to be able to address emerging regional threats and solving democratic governance challenges.

Allison noted that, among others, the conference resolved that ECOWAS must enhance democracy, strengthen regional security initiatives, build partnerships among nations, and revolutionalise economic integration.  

The Executive Director of Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Dr. Garba Dauda, on his part, recalled the role that ECOWAS played in conflict resolution, stabilisation, and peacebuilding across West Africa, stressing also the success of the regional body in promoting free movement across national bordersan achievement that other regional organisations on the continent have yet to realise.

He, however, expressed concern that key challenges continue to threaten the very core and purpose of ECOWAS concerning trend of de-democratization marked by anti-democratic actions by political elites across the region, as well as the rising threat of fundamentalism with severe implications for peace and human security.

He reflected that it was hard to imagine West Africa experiencing the scale of terrorism it faces today, stating that addressing these threats requires innovative thinkingnot only from ECOWAS but also from scholars, practitioners, and various sectors.

The Director General, Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), Dr. Joseph Ochogwu, who delivered the keynote speech at the conference, tasked ECOWAS to restructure by embracing resilience, champion democracy and prioritising regional security.

The conference attracted 108 participants (including academics, policymakers, civil society actors, researchers, students, development practitioners, journalists, and representatives of the Nigerian military and paramilitary services), drawn from 41 different universities and institutions across West Africa, Africa, Europe and North America.