The 2025 Annual Meeting of ECOWAS National Office Heads is being held in Dakar, Senegal, from December 16 to 19. The meeting focuses on strengthening collaboration among ECOWAS national offices to advance regional integration programs under the theme “Changes, Challenges and Opportunities in the New ECOWAS: Strengthening Collaboration among ECOWAS National Offices to Advance Regional Integration Programmes.”
Organized by the ECOWAS External Relations Directorate, the event aims to discuss how heads of national offices can ensure closer cooperation and share best practices regarding resources, challenges, and opportunities for promoting ECOWAS’ vision, strategies, reforms, policies, and activities.
In his opening speech, Mr. Babacar Ba, Head of the ECOWAS National Office and Director in charge of African Integration for Senegal, spoke on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and African Integration. He emphasized the importance of the meeting and stated Senegal’s commitment to work with other member states toward achieving set objectives.
Mr. Komba Momoh, Head of the ECOWAS National Office in Sierra Leone, said: “This meeting marks an important moment for us to reflect on our collective achievements, review our challenges and reaffirm our shared commitment to strengthening ECOWAS’s actions in its Member States.”
H.E. Ms Fatou Sow Sarr, Commissioner for Human Development and Social Affairs (DHAS), speaking on behalf of the President of the ECOWAS Commission H.E. Dr Omar Alieu TOURAY said: “this meeting will generate valuable ideas and best practices to further strengthen cooperation between ECOWAS national offices, which is essential to advancing ECOWAS Vision 2050 and promoting programmes and projects at the national level, while involving various stakeholders, particularly young people, women and development partners.”
The annual gathering was institutionalized by Decision C/6/12/12/90. Member states are encouraged to contribute to community efforts by harmonizing their strategies according to Article 5 of the revised ECOWAS Treaty (1993). National offices play a role in ensuring both horizontal and external cooperation for regional integration as outlined in Article 27 of the revised Operational Manual.
ECOWAS works towards greater cooperation among its member states through harmonized policies covering areas such as trade, transport, agriculture, and social development. These efforts aim to improve living standards across West Africa while fostering stability (https://www.ecowas.int/category/news/). The organization operates as a regional intergovernmental body focused on political and economic integration within West Africa (https://www.ecowas.int/category/news/). Its headquarters are located in Abuja, Nigeria (https://www.ecowas.int/category/news/).
The commission is led by a president supported by a vice president and commissioners (https://www.ecowas.int/category/news/). Since transitioning from a secretariat to a commission in 2007, it has sought more effective governance structures (https://www.ecowas.int/category/news/). Established after signing the Treaty of Lagos in 1975 by fifteen leaders from West Africa (https://www.ecowas.int/category/news/), ECOWAS now covers twelve countries with ongoing initiatives aimed at extending its reach throughout the region (https://www.ecowas.int/category/news/).
Its functions include policy harmonization among member states—such as common external tariffs—and coordination on infrastructure projects as well as protocols enabling free movement for people and goods within West Africa (https://www.ecowas.int/category/news/).