The President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, received several diplomatic delegations at the organization’s headquarters in Abuja on December 16, 2025. The meetings were part of ECOWAS’ ongoing efforts to enhance diplomatic relations and regional cooperation with member states and international partners.
During these engagements, Dr. Touray formally accepted Letters of Credence from Ambassador Olawale Emmanuel Awe, who is now the Permanent Representative of Nigeria to ECOWAS. The president welcomed Ambassador Awe and expressed confidence in his ability to reinforce Nigeria’s leadership role and commitment to the ECOWAS integration agenda.
Dr. Touray also met with Mohamed Alkhairy Algedail Arbab, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of Sudan, as well as Musa Sani Nuhu, outgoing Permanent Representative of Nigeria to ECOWAS. As Ambassador Nuhu concluded his tenure with the community, Dr. Touray presented him with an award for his contributions to regional integration and cooperation within ECOWAS.
Recognizing shared challenges facing the region and beyond, Dr. Touray stated: “If we prioritize humanity, we can tackle global challenges more effectively.” He reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to strong partnerships for shared prosperity.
The ambassadors praised Dr. Touray for his leadership and vision and reiterated their intention to continue strengthening both bilateral and multilateral cooperation with ECOWAS. They confirmed their resolve to promote sub-regional integration for the benefit of people across West Africa.
Dr. Touray emphasized that “we look forward to deepening cooperation with Member States in pursuit of our shared goals.” He said that ECOWAS would remain a platform for dialogue and collective action among its members and partners.
ECOWAS operates as a regional intergovernmental organization focused on political and economic integration across West Africa, working through harmonized policies in areas such as trade, transport, agriculture, and social development [source]. The commission is led by a president supported by other officials [source], with its headquarters located in Abuja [source]. Since transitioning from a secretariat to a commission in 2007 [source], it has aimed to boost living standards through policy harmonization among its member states [source].