Omar Alieu Touray, President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, emphasised the importance of unity among member states as a crucial factor in addressing insecurity in the sub-region.
Touray made this statement in his address commemorating the 49th anniversary of ECOWAS, themed “Strengthening Regional Unity, Peace, and Security.”
Touray highlighted that this year’s theme was carefully selected to reflect the current challenges facing the region and to remind the community of the essential need to maintain regional unity and peace. He stressed that these objectives were central to the vision of ECOWAS’s Founding Fathers and remain vital to the region’s stability.
“These are goals that the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government strive to safeguard daily through their efforts to ensure the security of our people and protect the integrity of our territories,” Touray stated. He warned that any fragmentation of the community would be unforgivable by both past and future generations.
Recalling the signing of the treaty that established ECOWAS 49 years ago, Touray underscored the organization’s role in uniting the region’s people around shared ideals of prosperity. He reiterated that unity is paramount for successfully combating insecurity, which now poses a significant threat to the region.
Quoting General Yakubu Gowon, one of ECOWAS’s Founding Fathers, Touray said, “We must do everything to preserve our unity.” He expressed confidence that through unity, ECOWAS could maintain peace and strengthen efforts to secure the member states and their citizens.
Touray also noted that regional stability and socio-economic development depend on this unity. Despite ongoing challenges such as terrorism, displacement, and food insecurity, he pointed to the tangible achievements of ECOWAS in areas like free movement, intra-community trade, regional energy and transport infrastructure, governance, and peace and security.
As ECOWAS celebrates its 49th anniversary, Touray called for a collective effort to build on these successes and achieve the Vision 2050 goal: “a fully integrated community of peoples in a peaceful and prosperous region with strong institutions that respect fundamental freedoms and work towards inclusive and sustainable development.”
