On 8 April 2025 in Abidjan, the Boards of Directors of the African Development Bank Group welcomed H.E. Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, the President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, for a Technical Session on the State of Play on Regional Integration in the West African sub-region.
The meeting which was chaired by Ms. Nnenna Nwabufo, the Vice President for Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery of the Bank Group, was held in response to a request from the Committee on Operations and Development Effectiveness (CODE), a subsidiary organ of the Boards of the Directors, at the conclusions of its meeting on the 2024 Mid-Term Review of the Regional Integration Strategy Paper (RISP). Thus, discussions at the meeting focused on how to advance regional integration in view of the recent developments and dynamics of the West African region.
The Bank Group Management set the scene by presenting operational strengths, opportunities and constraints in West Africa. It noted that the West Africa is “the continent’s economic powerhouse, accounting for 27 per cent of Africa’s total GDP, or around $700 billion. It performs highest on the Africa Regional Integration Index – and in spite of the challenges, can position itself effectively for the African Continental Free Trade Area”
On his part, Dr. Touray shed some light on recent developments in the region, and how the ECOWAS Commission and its members are addressing existing and emerging challenges. He emphasized the importance of solidarity, stressing that ECOWAS welcomes and would collaborate with all countries in the region and beyond. He therefore called for continued investment in regional development, expressed appreciation for “the quality of interaction between the ECOWAS Commission and the African Development Bank Group particularly through its Nigeria Country Department.”
Further, he acknowledged the Bank “AAA” credit rating and invited the Bank Group to “continue to invest in harnessing resources for the West Africa region and to pursue its current efforts in the development of infrastructure, economic governance, and energy for the benefit of the people”. For example, he praised some of the Bank Group regional integration projects and operations, particularly the Mali-Mauritania power interconnection, the Burkina-Mali-Côte d’Ivoire road links and the Abidjan-Lagos corridor.
However, he encouraged the Bank to step up action on the peace-security-development nexus while continuing to invest in regional corridors. He also underscored the importance of cross-border infrastructure, trade under the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme and the AfCFTA.
In response to the interventions, Board noted that intra-regional trade in West Africa accounted for only nine per cent of imports and 10 per cent of exports, in contrast to the free movement of goods and people, long recognised as one of the major achievements of ECOWAS. However, they encouraged the ECOWAS Commission to consider:
- taking more action to boost intra-community trade;
- removing non-tariff barriers to better integrate the region;
- capitalising on synergies with other regional organisations, in particular the Southern African Development Community (SADC); and
- strengthening the private sector to reduce the paradox of a “continent rich in natural resources but with the highest number of poor people”.
This notwithstanding, members of the Boards welcomed the session and indicated that it provided an opportunity for them to better appreciate the current situation in the West African region, and to engage with the ECOWAS Commission on how to enhance the collaboration between the two institutions.
At the end, Dr. Touray underscored the importance of the Technical Session and indicated that “the challenges that have been identified, taking into account their scale, can only be tackled through robust cooperation”.
In conclusion, Ms. Nwabufo, on behalf of the President and Chairman of the Boards of Directors, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, Senior Management and staff of the Bank, expressed her appreciation to Dr. Touray and members of the Board for attending the session, which was designed to improve the Bank’s knowledge of the region and the ECOWAS Commission’s priorities.
Source African Development Bank Group
