Abuja: Fifty years after the creation of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), regional integration will be under the spotlight at the second gathering of the African Public Square (APS) in Abuja. This event, organized by the African Leadership Centre at King's College London, aims to facilitate transformative dialogue on peace, security, and development in Africa.
According to Ghana News Agency, the APS will coincide with the ECOWAS at 50 Conference on October 31 and November 1 at the organization's headquarters in Abuja. The event is organized in partnership with the Amandla Institute, the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA), and the West African Think Tank Initiative (WATHI). It aims to reflect on ECOWAS's journey over the past five decades and to reimagine its role in shaping the future of regional integration and governance in West Africa.
Shuvai Busuman Nyoni, Executive Director of the ALC, describes the gathering as both a celebration and a reflection for the continent. Nyoni emphasizes the importance of looking back with clarity and forward with courage to determine the kind of regional organization Africa needs for the next 50 years.
The APS serves as a platform for an intergenerational community of African public intellectuals to exchange ideas, debate policy challenges, and chart new directions for Africa's global engagement. Nyoni highlights the importance of African voices in leading conversations that define the continent's future, providing a forum for co-leadership and innovation that addresses conflicts, governance challenges, and global inequalities.
A highlight of the event will be a high-level public debate on the necessity of regional organizations for integration and the future of ECOWAS. This debate will feature prominent African scholars, policymakers, and young leaders, offering historical reflection and forward-looking perspectives on the relevance of regional institutions in a changing global context.
Following the debate, the ECOWAS at 50 Conference will take place under the theme "Looking Back to Look Forward." Participants will assess ECOWAS's achievements and challenges while exploring strategies for creating a more inclusive, responsive, and people-centered regional body. Discussions will focus on thematic areas like ECOWAS Vision 2050, emerging technologies, regional economic integration, women and girls in governance, and peace and prosperity for all.
Nyoni stresses that the event is not merely commemorative but a critical moment to consider what an 'ECOWAS of the People' truly means. She calls for moving from rhetoric to reality to ensure regional institutions genuinely serve the citizens they represent.
The two-day conference is expected to attract leading African intellectuals, regional policymakers, civil society organizations, and youth representatives from across the continent. Together, they will explore how ECOWAS can adapt to the evolving political, economic, and technological landscape while remaining anchored in the aspirations of West African citizens.
As the region commemorates half a century of ECOWAS's existence, the ALC's initiative underscores a growing call among African thinkers and institutions to reimagine regionalism from the ground up-aiming for a participatory, equitable, and responsive approach to the continent's diverse realities.