ACCRA, GHANA- Activities marking the 50th Anniversary of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have been launched in Accra, Ghana.
President Joseph Boakai, along with other Heads of States and Government, joined the host President of Ghana, John Mahama, to launch the ECOWAS Golden Jubilee at the Accra International Conference Center on Tuesday, April 22, 2025.
ECOWAS Commission President, Dr. Omar Alieu Tourey, remarked that a series of events are expected to take place in member countries, as part of the year-long celebrations.
Dr. Tourey said:” ECOWAS is the most vibrant and integrated bloc on the continent of Africa, with specific reference to visa-free movement, residency, and trade as some benefits being enjoyed by ECOWAS citizens.”
The ECOWAS Commission President said,” The Trade Liberalization Scheme (ETLS) is the ultimate source of resource generation for which member states must comply.”
Dr. Omar Tourey disclosed a 25-year master plan, with two hundred projects for implementation at the cost of close to one billion US dollars.
At the same time, Ghanaian President John Mahama has announced one thousand scholarships for youth of ECOWAS member states to study at any Ghanaian University.
President Mahama said:” The scholarship scheme is a show of Ghana’s commitment to empower young people of the region to continue the vision of ECOWAS.”
He described the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali from ECOWAS as regrettable, and a challenge to the organization.
However, President Mahama argued that diplomatic engagements with the three countries must continue without any resentment.
The Ghanaian President urged his colleagues to use soft power diplomacy to keep the region stable, peaceful, and together.
Meanwhile, an extraordinary session of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers on the withdrawal of the three West African countries is currently ongoing in Accra.
Liberia is being represented at the meeting by Foreign Minister Sara Beysolow-Nyanti.
