President of Republic proud of ECOWAS’s journey and advocates “critical reflection and renewed ambition” for the region

Praia, May 28 (Inforpress) - The President of the Republic is proud of the “remarkable” journey of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), arguing that the current challenges facing the region require “critical reflection and renewed ambition”.

José Maria Neves expressed this sentiment in a message sent on the occasion of the celebration of ECOWAS' 50th anniversary, marked today, 28 May, recalling with pride the ‘remarkable journey’ that the sub-regional organisation has made.

“ECOWAS must be able to reinvent itself in the face of profound economic transformations, rapid technological developments and new geopolitical dynamics that are shaping the 21st century,” he stressed, noting that its reform cannot be limited to technical or structural adjustments, but rather requires a strategic redefinition of its mandate, instruments and priorities, with a view to ensuring “truly effective, resilient and inclusive” integration.

Recognizing, on the other hand, that over the past five decades, economic integration has established itself as an “unavoidable instrument” for the progress of West Africa, José Maria Neves said that the political instability, coups d’état, constitutional ruptures and terrorist threats that afflict the sub-region remind us that peace continues to be a “fragile and unfinished” construction.

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