Abuja, Nigeria – Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, has urged West African media to shift its focus away from the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and instead concentrate on regional economic development.
The Minister made the call on Friday in Abuja, during a meeting with a delegation from the ECOWAS Parliament led by Speaker Memounatou Ibrahima. The meeting was part of a bilateral effort to strengthen democratic governance in West Africa, ahead of the ECOWAS Parliament’s 25th anniversary in November.
Ambassador Tuggar admonished stakeholders to pay more attention to the remaining twelve member states and strategies for developing critical sectors. He highlighted existing initiatives such as the West African Power Pool, the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme, and the Abidjan-Lagos and Abidjan-Dakar corridors as programmes designed to enhance regional development.
He described the ECOWAS Parliament as the embodiment of “the representation of the citizens of the member states and demonstrates commitment towards constitutional and democratic governance.”
Despite the recent withdrawals following disagreements over military coups, Tuggar expressed optimism that the three Sahel countries would eventually rejoin the regional bloc. “We will continue to work hard towards the success of ECOWAS and the success of the member-states will encourage the countries to come back,” he stated. “As we keep saying we have not closed the door on their return, we are confident that they will return because they are part and parcel of the region. It is just a matter of time.”
Ambassador Tuggar further noted that even with their exit, Nigeria and other ECOWAS nations would continue to maintain neighbourly relations with the three countries and collaborate in certain areas for mutual benefit.
Speaker Ibrahima, who was accompanied by Fourth Deputy Speaker Billay Tunkara and Secretary General Bertin Some, stated that the delegation’s visit was to update the Minister on the Parliament’s recent activities and to plan future engagements.
Both sides also discussed ECOWAS at 50, a celebration held on May 28 in Lagos, while the Parliament, established in 2000, prepares for its own 25th anniversary. The Togolese Speaker added that discussions included enhancing the Parliament’s legislative role within the ECOWAS community and supporting the bloc’s various programmes and activities.
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