Freetown: The ECOWAS Council of Ministers opened its 96th Ordinary Session, gathering member-state representatives, Commission officials, institutional leaders, and development partners for deliberations focused on regional integration, peace, security, and economic development across West Africa.
According to Sierra Leone News Agency, the opening proceedings featured remarks from Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission, followed by a welcome address and official opening speech from Alhaji Timothy Musa Kabba, Chair of the Council and Sierra Leone’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. ECOWAS Chief Negotiator Lansana Kouyate also attended the session at the Bintumani Hotel, Freetown.
Dr. Touray thanked the Government and people of Sierra Leone for their hospitality and commended the Council Chair for steady leadership over the past year. He said the Council had provided strategic guidance and effective oversight for the implementation of community programmes.
He noted that the session carried personal significance as his final ordinary session in office as President of the Commission. Over the past four years, he said, the Commission worked closely with the Council to advance ECOWAS goals during one of the most difficult periods in the bloc’s history, marked by political transitions, evolving security threats, economic uncertainty, a fragile global environment and the withdrawal of some member states. Despite those pressures, he said, the Commission remained committed to implementing the Authority’s decisions, preserving institutional stability, maintaining dialogue, and ensuring continuity in community programmes.
His Excellency said the Commission also pressed ahead with reforms aimed at strengthening governance, accountability and institutional performance. He highlighted the operationalization of the Permanent Representatives Committee as an advisory organ to the Council, the completion of the Pum Ekot Bridge and Joint Border Post linking ECOWAS and ECCAS, the launch of the ECOWAS Business Council to deepen private-sector participation, and the completion of the relocation to the Commission’s new headquarters in Abuja.
He added that the Council’s agenda would review the 2026 interim report on the state of the Community, the financial position of the institution, implementation of previous Council decisions, and reports from the Ad Hoc Ministerial Committee, the committee on statutory appointments and performance evaluation, the Administration and Finance Committee, and the Audit Committee. He mentioned that the session would also examine strategic policy issues, including digital transformation, regional investment promotion, cultural cooperation, gender equality, telecommunications, agriculture, trade, science, innovation and relations with the Alliance of Indigenous Peoples.
However, he expressed gratitude to the Authority of Heads of State and Government, the Council, member states and development partners for their support during his tenure. He also paid tribute to the Vice President, Commissioners, heads of institutions and staff of the Community, saying their professionalism sustained ECOWAS through a demanding period. He voiced confidence that the bloc retains the resilience, institutional capacity and political will needed to advance peace, stability, economic integration and sustainable development across the region.
In his address, Alhaji Timothy Musa Kabba welcomed delegates and described the meeting as taking place at a critical moment for the Community. He said their presence reflected a shared commitment to the founding principles of ECOWAS: regional solidarity, collective prosperity, peace, democracy and sustainable development.
The Minister acknowledged the scale of the challenges facing the region, including geopolitical shifts, economic uncertainty, climate pressure, youth unemployment, gender inequality, food insecurity, terrorism, violent extremism, transnational organised crime, irregular migration and unconstitutional changes of government. He referred to those pressures as testing the region’s resilience but also underscoring the importance of unity, solidarity and political resolve among member states.
Hence, the Minister said the session’s agenda was both comprehensive and consequential, covering institutional reform, regional security, economic integration, infrastructure development, trade, investment, humanitarian concerns and diversity. He pointed out that the Council’s deliberations would help frame decisions by Heads of State and Government that will shape the future of the Community for generations.
He urged delegates to remain guided by shared values, democratic governance, constitutional order, peaceful neighbourly relations and economic integration that delivers clear benefits to citizens. Reminding participants that they represent more than 400 million West Africans, he called for constructive engagement, open dialogue and compromise in order to produce practical recommendations that respond to public expectations and strengthen regional decision-making.
The Minister reaffirmed Sierra Leone’s commitment to regional cooperation, democratic governance, peacebuilding, gender equality, youth empowerment, human capital development and sustainable economic transformation. Reflecting on Sierra Leone’s own path from conflict to peace, he mentioned that dialogue, solidarity and mutual respect remain the surest foundations for lasting peace and development, and continue to shape the country’s engagement with ECOWAS, the African Union and the United Nations.
He informed that the founding vision of ECOWAS remains as relevant as ever, with citizens expecting a responsive, united and innovative institution capable of meeting emerging challenges and delivering tangible gains in peace, security, economic opportunity and social progress. He then formally declared the 96th Ordinary Session open.