Discussions took place on January 29, 2026, at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission headquarters between Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission, and members of the diplomatic corps accredited to Nigeria. The meeting aimed to strengthen diplomatic ties and explore collaboration opportunities between ECOWAS and its international and regional partners to promote regional stability and shared prosperity.
Members of the diplomatic corps in Abuja discussed topics including regional stability, peace, security, counterterrorism efforts, economic integration within the region, statistical harmonization and data management, as well as internet and telecommunications.
In his opening remarks, Dr. Touray highlighted ongoing cooperation with development partners on issues such as peace, governance, security, and other development sectors. He stated: “In 2025 collaboration was deepened between the Commission and international partners, including the United Nations, the African Union, and the European Union, to enhance coordinated responses to peace and security challenges. The 2nd Joint Consultative Meeting between the African Union Peace and Security Council (AU PSC) and the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council (MSC) at the ambassadorial level was held from May 15 to 16, 2025, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The overall objective of the joint meeting was to review developments in the ECOWAS region and reinforce collaboration on peace, governance, security issues, and geopolitical dynamics…”
During this event Dr. Touray also announced that five thematic technical groups would resume work with partner organizations. These groups focus on capacity building; peace and security/humanitarian affairs; infrastructure; economic integration and regional trade; as well as agriculture/environment & natural resources.