Lagos: Mahmoud Youssouf, Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), has praised the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for its decisive leadership in addressing regional challenges, heralding its role as a guardian of peace and a promoter of dialogue. Represented by Deputy Chairperson Selma Haddadi, Youssouf delivered these remarks during the 50th anniversary celebration of ECOWAS in Lagos.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Youssouf highlighted the significance of the anniversary as a monumental milestone, symbolizing five decades of perseverance and progress in Africa’s collective journey. He acknowledged the foresight of visionary leaders who founded ECOWAS with the belief that Africa’s strength lay in unity rather than fragmentation. He emphasized that economic liberation and meaningful sovereignty could only be achieved through collective efforts.
Youssouf praised ECOWAS’s steadfastness in the face of political challenges, pandemics, economic disruptions, and globalization. He noted that ECOWAS emerged not only as a regional bloc but as a moral force, defending human dignity and upholding peace through interventions shaped by conviction.
The Chairperson underscored ECOWAS’s role as a first responder to political crises, bolstering West African stability and enriching the African Union’s capacity to address emerging threats. He acknowledged ECOWAS as a credible voice anchored in unity, justice, and enduring peace, while highlighting its achievements in economic integration, such as the seamless mobility of people and goods, a unified biometric identity system, and trade regulation harmonization.
Youssouf emphasized ECOWAS’s strategic alignment with the African Union’s Agenda 2063, urging further efforts to address the profound uncertainties of the present, including geopolitical tensions, climate change, economic disparities, and social contract strains. He called for solidarity and innovation, advocating for a future where digital transformation bridges divides and women and youth are central to policy-making.
Reflecting on ECOWAS as a mirror of Africa’s capacity to transcend colonial borders and build consensus, Youssouf called for foresight in addressing challenges and urged the community to imagine a future defined by limitless possibilities. He reaffirmed the African Union’s commitment to walking alongside ECOWAS in this journey, emphasizing that as ECOWAS thrives, so does Africa.