Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama has called on the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to mark its 50th anniversary with a renewed vision of inclusive regional integration, urging leaders to prioritize dialogue, cooperation, and people-centered diplomacy in the face of growing political and security challenges. Speaking at the ECOWAS Golden Jubilee summit in Accra, Mahama underscored the urgent need for reconciliation with Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger — three junta-led states that withdrew from the bloc in January to form the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). While the three nations were absent from the celebration, Mahama rejected punitive isolation, instead advocating for strategic diplomatic outreach.
“We must not meet secession with silence or sanction alone,” Mahama said. “Let us use the power of engagement and empathy to bring our brothers and sisters back into the fold.” He revealed that Ghana had appointed a special envoy tasked with negotiating reintegration with AES countries and confirmed his own diplomatic visits to the region in recent months. The Ghanaian leader’s remarks come amid rising regional instability, particularly in the Sahel, where extremist violence, political upheaval, and humanitarian crises continue to strain member states. He warned that ECOWAS’s relevance in the next 50 years will depend on its ability to remain united and respond effectively to such threats.
Mahama also stressed that regional economic inequality, youth unemployment, and climate change pose existential challenges to ECOWAS’s development agenda. He urged leaders to prioritize institutional reform and inclusivity, especially by expanding opportunities for women and young people across the sub-region.
In a symbolic move to promote educational access and regional solidarity, Mahama announced Ghana will offer 1,000 scholarships to students from ECOWAS member states for higher education in Ghanaian universities. He framed the initiative as a concrete demonstration of Ghana’s commitment to shared progress and unity. Praising ECOWAS’s legacy in mediating past conflicts — including its peacekeeping roles in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and The Gambia — Mahama called for the revitalization of its early warning systems, electoral support mechanisms, and conflict resolution structures.
“Let us make the next 50 years a time of deeper integration, stronger institutions, and prosperity shared by all,” he concluded, calling for a new era of regionalism rooted in cooperation, not division.
