Feyemi: Challenges of Poverty, Inequality, Governance Deficits and Insecurity Can Only Be Effectively Addressed in West Africa with Reform of ECOWAS

By: Michael Mike

Former Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi has called for urgent reform of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), insisting that the challenges of poverty, inequality, governance deficits, and insecurity in the West African region cannot be effectively addressed by the regional bloc in its current form.

Speaking in Abuja at the second edition of the African Political Square and the Experts meeting on Alternative Futures for ECOWAS at 50 – jointly organized with the African Leadership Centre (ALC), in collaboration with Codesria and Wathi, Fayemi said: “Clearly, the current state of the regional body underscores the need for deep reflection on how ECOWAS can move beyond being an elite-driven institution to one that truly represents and serves its people.

“The challenges of poverty, inequality, governance deficits, and insecurity cannot be effectively addressed by ECOWAS in its current form.

“There is an urgent need for a new, citizen-centered approach that responds to the real concerns of ordinary West Africans, rather than focusing solely on the priorities of political leaders.”

Fayemi, who is the co-founder of Amanda Institute for Policy and Leadership Advancement, said: “It is also my hope that a key part of our discussion will focus on security and the role of the military in addressing instability in the region. It is now evident that traditional military strategies alone are inadequate in tackling the complex threats posed by insurgent and terrorist groups.”

He decried that: “Many of these groups are deeply embedded within communities and even, in some cases, within the military itself. What is needed is a more sophisticated intelligence-based approach, combined with efforts to address the underlying social and economic drivers of insecurity. We need a comprehensive human security strategy that deals with issues of poverty, inequality, and governance failures, which extremist groups continue to exploit.”

He added that: “While it is understandable that many citizens are frustrated with civilian governments that have failed to deliver on governance and security, we should also not mince words that military rule is not a viable alternative in tackling governance deficits. History has shown that military regimes do not provide sustainable solutions. In fact, in the three countries that have now exited ECOWAS, terrorism and insecurity have worsened since the military took over.”

He tasked the leadership of ECOWAS to get a working arrangement with AES countries, stressing that: “The challenge for ECOWAS is how to engage these regimes while also ensuring a pathway back to credible democratic governance. It is crucial that ECOWAS continues to leverage diplomatic efforts in finding pragmatic ways that do not alienate the breakaway states further but instead brings them back into a cooperative regional framework.

“The current effort of the Commission in this regard is noted. In this regard, ECOWAS has always been a flexible and adaptive regional body, accommodating different sub-regional groupings like UEMOA, CENSAD, the Mano River Union, and others. There is no reason why AES (the putative Sahelian bloc of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger) cannot continue to be part of ECOWAS, even if they insist on maintaining a distinct identity. The goal should be to preserve regional cooperation, stability, and development, rather than encouraging further divisions.”

He added that: “All of the issues confronting the region collectively reinforce the urgency of rethinking and reimagining ECOWAS’s role in a changing West Africa. The regional body cannot continue business as usual. It must evolve to reflect the realities on the ground and to rebuild trust with its citizens. 50 years is a significant milestone in which ECOWAS has accomplished a lot, but it must also serve as a moment of reckoning: a time for deep reflection, bold reforms, and a renewed commitment to the principles of regional integration, security, and inclusive governance. The future of West Africa depends on the choices we make today, and it is clear that ECOWAS must embrace change if it is to remain relevant in the years ahead.”

On his part, the ECOWAS Commission President, Dr. Omar Alieu Touray lamented that the regional bloc today faces a crisis of democracy and security.

Touray, who was represented by the Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Ambassador Abdufatah Musah, described the moment as one demanding “deep introspection and honest self-assessment.”

He said: “ECOWAS today faces a crisis of democracy and security. Manipulation of constitutions and exclusionary politics have become fashionable. Democracy is in crisis, and insecurity has worsened.”

He noted that the bloc’s history had passed through three phases: formation amid Cold War divisions, the peacekeeping era of the 1990s, and the current struggle with insecurity and governance.

“It was visionary leadership that created ECOWAS in 1975,” he recalled. “At that time, bringing together francophone, anglophone, and lusophone states was itself a miracle. Now, after fifty years, we must ask whether we are still faithful to that vision.”

He warned that “external shocks and internal weaknesses” had combined to create a turning point for West Africa. “The world is no longer bipolar; it is multipolar — even multicultural,” he said. “Countries now have choices based on their interests and values. West Africa must also choose — between people-centred democracy and authoritarian regression.”

He disclosed that ECOWAS had launched “a series of introspections” across its structures to redefine its strategy for the next 15 years.

He added that: “Citizens must be at the heart of this new ECOWAS. They must decide the direction we take. Every generation must discover its mission, fulfil it, or betray it. For West Africa, this is that defining mission.”

Also speaking, the Vice President (International Engagement) at King’s College London and Founding Director of the African Leadership Centre, Professor Funmi Olonisakin, said the 50th anniversary should provoke a fundamental rethink of the regional body’s purpose and structure.

“Even without the current crises, a strong case exists for a reinvention of the West African integration project. The transition from an ECOWAS of rulers — an elite club of political leaders — to a community of the people has not happened as hoped.”

Feyemi: Challenges of Poverty, Inequality, Governance Deficits and Insecurity Can Only Be Effectively Addressed in West Africa with Reform of ECOWAS