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The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Sierra Leone, Hon. Timothy Musa Kabba, represented President Dr. Julius Maada Bio at the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) held at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs in Victoria Island, Lagos.
The anniversary gathering attracted representatives from all ECOWAS member states, senior government officials, and dignitaries from the African Union and the United Nations, as well as ministers and members of the diplomatic corps.
In his keynote address, the Chairman of ECOWAS and President of Nigeria, H.E. Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, reflected on the organization’s significant milestones. He reaffirmed ECOWAS’s role in promoting regional integration, liberalizing trade through the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme, and safeguarding regional stability. President Tinubu also threw light on the importance of consolidating democratic governance within the member states.
He introduced the ECOWAS Regional Infrastructure Master Plan, a 25-year strategic framework aimed at facilitating trade, attracting investment, and enhancing connectivity across West Africa. “Let us renew our hope in one another, as it will foster unity, promote trade, development, and progress,” President Tinubu stated.
Adding a historical perspective, General Yakubu Gowon (Rtd), the only surviving founding father of ECOWAS and former Head of State of Nigeria, delivered a heartfelt address. He recounted the organization’s journey since its inception in 1975 with the signing of the Treaty of Lagos, reflecting on its achievements over the past five decades.
General Gowon made a distressing appeal to President Tinubu, urging him to adopt a soft-power diplomatic approach to re-engage the Sahel nations of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, which have recently withdrawn from ECOWAS.
Established in 1975, ECOWAS aims to promote economic integration, peace, and cooperation among West African countries. The 50th anniversary celebration served as both a reflection on the organization’s past successes and a call to action for a more unified and prosperous region.
