Former Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has advocated an urgent reform of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), in order to effectively tackle poverty, inequality, bad governance and insecurity in the sub-region.
Fayemi, who made the call at the second edition of the African Political Square (APS) and the Experts Meeting on Alternative Futures for ECOWAS at 50, organised by the African Leadership Centre (ALC), in collaboration with the ECOWAS Commission, Codesria and Wath, said the myriad of challenges confronting region cannot be effectively addressed by the regional economic bloc in its current form.
According to him, ECOWAS must move be- yond being an elite-driven institution to one that truly represents and serves its people.
“There is an urgent need for a new, citizen-centered approach that responds to the real concerns of ordinary West Africans, rather than focusing solely on the priorities of political leaders.
The regional body cannot continue business as usual. “It must evolve to reflect the realities on the ground and to rebuild trust with its citizens.
50 years is a significant milestone in which ECOWAS has accomplished a lot, but it must also serve as a moment of reckoning: a time for deep reflection, bold reforms, and a renewed commitment to the principles of regional integration, security, and inclusive governance.
“It is also my hope that a key part of our discussion will focus on security and the role of the military in addressing instability in the region. It is now evident that traditional military strategies alone are inadequate in tackling the complex threats posed by insurgent and terrorist groups.
“Many of these groups are deeply embedded within communities and even, in some cases, within the military itself.
What is needed is a more sophisticated intelligence-based approach, combined with efforts to address the underlying social and economic drivers of insecurity.
We need a comprehensive human security strategy that deals with issues of poverty, inequality, and governance failures, which extremist groups continue to exploit,” he said.
