The 6th Annual General Meeting of the Network of National Anti-Corruption Institutions in West Africa (NACIWA) opened at ECOWAS Headquarters on Monday, August 19, 2024, in Abuja, Nigeria. The event is held under the theme “Implementing the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Protocol against corruption towards strengthening Institutions for Regional Unity.”
The three-day meeting, running from August 19 to 21, is organized in collaboration with the ECOWAS Commission, the Government of Nigeria, and key development partners including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), within the framework of the Strengthening Regional Peace and Stability (SRPS) Program.
Notable attendees included Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs H.E. Yusuf Maitama Tuggar; Attorney General and Minister of Justice Prince Lateef Fagbemi; Chairman of the Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption Senator Udende Emmanuel; ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah; NACIWA President Mr. Ola Olukayode; Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu; development partners; NACIWA officials; and ECOWAS staff members.
Speakers at the event emphasized the need for effective collaboration, information sharing, and good practices among ECOWAS member states to combat corruption that hinders economic development.
In his remarks, Vice-President of Nigeria H.E. Kashim Shettima commended ECOWAS for its collaboration with NACIWA and member states in implementing anti-corruption measures within the sub-region. Representing Nigeria’s President and current Chairman of ECOWAS H.E. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Vice President Shettima called on member states to ratify and implement the ECOWAS Protocol against corruption.
ECOWAS Commissioner Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah highlighted that "the ECOWAS Protocol on the Fight Against Corruption," adopted in 2001 serves as a foundational document to combat corruption within member countries. He noted that "this protocol outlines measures that Member States must adopt to prevent, detect, and prosecute corrupt practices."
Ambassador Musah added: “It emphasizes the need for harmonized legal frameworks, robust institutional mechanisms, and enhanced cooperation among Member States... By standardizing our laws and procedures we make corruption more difficult and easier to prosecute.”
NACIWA was created at ECOWAS's initiative in response to an urgent need for coordinated efforts against corruption affecting governance, economic development, and social stability in West Africa.
The ECOWAS Commission has facilitated adopting several key instruments such as the 2001 Protocol on Combating Corruption among others aimed at preventing violent conflicts while promoting good governance across member states.
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