The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has reaffirmed its commitment to deepening its partnership with the Africa Agenda Network (AAN) to document, preserve and showcase the regional bloc’s achievements as it marks 50 years of promoting integration and development across West Africa.
The renewed commitment was made on Tuesday when President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, received the Chief Executive Officer of the Africa Agenda Network, Ms. Muna Jallow, during a working visit to the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
Discussions centred on the implementation of the Africa Agenda Network–ECOWAS Strategic Partnership Initiative, a three-phase programme designed to commemorate ECOWAS’ golden jubilee while strengthening public understanding of the organisation’s contributions to regional cooperation and integration.
Briefing the Commission President, Jallow said the initiative had successfully completed its first phase with the ECOWAS@50 Trade, Investment and Exhibition Forum held in Lagos, Nigeria.
She disclosed that the partnership has now entered its second phase, which involves the production of a commemorative publication chronicling ECOWAS’ five-decade journey, highlighting its major milestones, institutional growth, achievements and impact on regional integration.
According to her, the final phase of the initiative will feature the production of a documentary series capturing the ECOWAS story through the voices and experiences of citizens from across its member states, providing a people-centred account of the organisation’s evolution.
Responding, Touray welcomed the initiative and reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to expanding its collaboration with the Africa Agenda Network.
He said the partnership would enhance public awareness of ECOWAS, preserve its institutional history and project the organisation’s achievements and contributions to audiences across West Africa and the international community.
The initiative comes as ECOWAS commemorates 50 years since its establishment in 1975. Over the past five decades, the regional bloc has played a pivotal role in advancing economic integration, facilitating the free movement of people and goods, promoting democratic governance, supporting peacekeeping operations and driving regional development despite enduring political and security challenges.
The planned commemorative publication and documentary are expected to serve as lasting records of ECOWAS’ legacy while inspiring a new generation of West Africans to appreciate the importance of regional integration in shaping the future of the sub-region.
