Following the first series launched in Accra, Ghana, from November 19 to 21, 2025, ECOWAS, through its Department of Economic Affairs and Agriculture, launched the second series of regional meetings in Abuja, Nigeria, from November 26 to December 3, 2025, with the aim of accelerating regional integration, promoting trade, strengthening agricultural productivity, protecting the environment, improving food security, and stimulating inclusive economic growth in member states.
The initiative consists of jointly opening regional consultations in order to strengthen the coherence of actions between the Department’s technical directorates. It generally involves the senior authorities of the host country, in particular the ministers of the sectors concerned.
In Ghana, for example, the first series focused on four (04) regional interventions, namely: the alignment of national and regional strategies and the data monitoring and evaluation mechanism, the ECOWAS agricultural information system (Ecoagris), fisheries and aquaculture, and cross-border trade. In Nigeria, the series focused on five (05) regional meetings, namely: those on the ECOWAS e-commerce strategy, the trade in services programme, plastic pollution management, the West African Fertiliser Quality Control Committee (WaCoFeC) and the technical committees monitoring the implementation of regional agricultural policy projects and programmes.
These meetings, held in parallel after the joint openings, are an essential link between the Commission, Member States and grassroots communities, promoting strategic rapprochement and helping to mitigate the effects of the current socio-political and security context in the region. Strengthening communication thus appears to be a fundamental lever for increasing the credibility, influence and impact of ECOWAS, in perfect alignment with the Vision 2050 of the “ECOWAS of the People: Peace and Prosperity for All”.
Through these joint consultations, ECOWAS wishes to share with all stakeholders some key achievements in the agricultural, environmental and trade areas, with the aim of further stimulating adherence, support and strengthening of regional and international cooperation.
These initiatives, which will continue in 2026, collectively aim at consolidating regional integration, increase intraregional trade, improving agricultural productivity, protect the environment, strengthening food security and encourage inclusive economic growth. This momentum reflects ECOWAS’ commitment to implementing more coherent, visible and beneficial interventions for Member States, particularly in a fragile socio-political and security context.