Dr Omar Touray, President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), says the bloc is planning a special summit on the future of regional integration to address the subregion’s multifaceted challenges.

Touray announced this at the 52nd Ordinary Session of ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council ‎(MSC) at the ministerial level on Wednesday in Abuja.

He said the summit was necessitated by the challenges of development and rapidly changing geo-strategic and geo-political environment, which complicate regional cohesion and integration processes.

“As we commemorate the 49th anniversary of our collective regional integration project, our region is still confronted with multiple interlocking threats, including existential ones, posing significant challenges.

“The Sahel faces climate and man-made crises, leading to terrorism and violent extremism, while the Gulf of Guinea faces illegal fishing, drug trafficking, and dumping of toxic waste; thus, affecting livelihoods.

“Governance deficits and marginalization have strained social contracts, engendering bitter political rivalries, resource competition, organised crime and violence.

“The commission has, in light of the foregoing, commenced technical preparations towards the holding of an inclusive Special Summit on the Future of Regional Integration in West Africa,” he said.

The commission’s president said that, to this end, ECOWAS ambassadors had earlier met on 29 June, 2024 at the Mediation and Security Council session, to discuss the subregion’s security situation.

He said that the ambassadors also deliberated on the efforts being undertaken by the commission at the political, security, humanitarian and preventive diplomacy levels, as well as the summit’s agenda.

Touray said that the summit would consider the report of the meeting of the 40th MSC at Ambassadorial Level and the memorandum on the political, peace and security situations in the subregion.

He said the summit would also look at the memorandum on the operationalisation of the ECOWAS security architecture, and presentation of the report of the meeting of ministers of finance and defence, among others.

Touray expressed confidence that the deliberations at the summit would contribute to informed conclusions and constructive recommendations for the consideration of ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government. (NAN)