Africa-Press – Gambia. The leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have started arriving in Accra for Tuesday’s historic launch of ECOWAS@50.
Alongside the launch, leaders will convene for a special summit to address pressing regional challenges, with a focus on the Future of Regional Integration in West Africa and Multilateralism.
Among the first to arrive in Accra for the summit was Mr Muhammed B. S. Jallow, Vice President of The Gambia.
Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, who received Mr Jallow at the Kotoka International Airport in Accra, reiterated that as always, Ghana was ready to make the region proud.
Mr Muhammed B. S. Jallow, Vice President of The Gambia (2nd from right) and Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs (2nd from left)
Activities for the launch include the unveiling of the ECOWAS Golden Jubilee logo and theme, as well as artistic performances highlighting its history and accomplishments.
Year-long celebrations across Member States will follow, as recommended by the ECOWAS Conference of Heads of State and Government.
The activities programme was validated by the ECOWAS Administrative and Financial Committee during a virtual meeting in February 2025.
ECOWAS, founded on May 28, 1975, in Lagos, Nigeria, was created to foster economic integration and collective self-sufficiency among Member States.
Initially comprised of 15 West African nations, Cabo Verde joined in 1977, while Mauritania withdrew in 2000, signing an association agreement in 2017.
Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger exited in January 2025.
Current members include Benin, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Senegal, and Togo.
The bloc, regarded as a key pillar of the African Economic Community, promotes unified economic cooperation across sectors such as transport, energy, agriculture, and trade.
Its combined regional Gross Domestic Product stands at $734.8 billion.
In 2007, the Secretariat transitioned into a Commission to enhance leadership and strategic direction, guided by a President, Vice-President, five Commissioners, and an Auditor General.
ECOWAS is primarily funded by a 0.5% Community tax on imports from non-Member States.
It implements strategic programmes to deepen integration and eliminate barriers, working toward its 2050 vision of transitioning from an “ECOWAS of States” to an “ECOWAS of Peoples,” aiming for peace and prosperity for all.
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