LAGOS, NIGERIA – President Joseph Nyuma Boakai on May 28, 2025, joined fellow West African leaders to sign a landmark declaration commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), reaffirming their collective commitment to the organization’s founding ideals and future aspirations.
An Executive Mansion release issued on Thursday, May 29, says, the Heads of State and Government convened in Lagos, Nigeria—where ECOWAS was originally founded in 1975—to celebrate five decades of regional cooperation and to endorse a renewed vision for integration and sustainable development under ECOWAS Vision 2050.
In the Declaration of the Heads of State and Government on the ECOWAS 50th Anniversary, the leaders:
• Reaffirmed their commitment to peace, security, democratic governance, and the rule of law;
• Pledged to deepen economic integration, trade, and regional interconnectivity;
• Called for unified efforts to address pressing challenges such as terrorism, violent extremism, climate change, and youth unemployment;
• Encouraged citizens, civil society, youth and women’s groups, the private sector, and traditional leaders to actively contribute to building an “ECOWAS of the People.”
President Boakai highlighted Liberia’s steadfast commitment to the regional bloc, stating: “Regional solidarity is the backbone of West Africa’s stability and development. We stand united with our neighbours to deepen cooperation, safeguard democratic values, and secure a prosperous future for our people.”
He also praised ECOWAS’s achievements over the past five decades—particularly its contributions to conflict resolution, democratic transitions, and the free movement of people and goods—while emphasizing the importance of collective action in addressing contemporary challenges.
The signing ceremony took place at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) in Victoria Island, Lagos—the same venue where ECOWAS’s founding treaty was signed on May 28, 1975. Notably, H.E. General Yakubu Gowon, the only surviving founding father of ECOWAS, witnessed the historic re-enactment.
The declaration was signed in English, French, and Portuguese—the three official languages of ECOWAS—by Member States including Liberia, Nigeria, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, The Gambia, Togo, Benin, Cabo Verde, and others.
This Golden Jubilee marks both a moment of reflection and a call to action, as ECOWAS transitions into a new era guided by Vision 2050—an ambitious roadmap aimed at fostering a peaceful, prosperous, and people-centered West Africa.
