•Vice President Shettima (2nd left) represented Tinubu at the ECOWAS Summit in Abuja today
Presidents and their deputies from across West Africa met today in Nigeria for a regional meeting whose agenda was dominated by two recent coup attempts.
A successful putsch in Guinea-Bissau in November and a foiled military takeover in Benin a week ago have rattled the regional bloc ECOWAS, reports AFP.
The bloc was previously hit with a string of coups between 2020 and 2023 in Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, and Niger — all of whom are still under junta control.
“The events of the last few weeks have shown in concrete terms what regional solidarity means,” ECOWAS commission president Alieu Touray said at the opening ceremony of a heads of state summit in Abuja.
The summit, held at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja, was organised before the two recent coup attempts, but they are high on the agenda.
Presidents gathered for the meeting were set to discuss a recent ECOWAS mission to Guinea-Bissau and “the situation in the Republic of Benin,” according to the programme.
Trade liberalisation measures and “update on the transition process” in Guinea were also on the agenda.
Also on the priority list is security in Sahel, where jihadist groups are waging insurgencies in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.
Under junta rule, the three countries left ECOWAS and formed their own group, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
Last week, Touray called for negotiations with the AES over shared security concerns as the conflict continues to spread south.
“No border can insulate us from violence,” Sierra Leone President Julius Bio, who currently holds ECOWAS’s rotating chairmanship, said Sunday.
Heads of state from Guinea and Guinea-Bissau, suspended after their military takeovers, were not present at the summit.
President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria was not in attendance and was instead represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
In addition to military takeovers, democratic backsliding has also dogged civilian governments in West Africa.
In October, the Ivory Coast elected President Alassane Ouattara to a fourth term in an election that saw his rivals barred.
Coup fallout: Tinubu calls for West African unity to tackle challenges
President Bola Tinubu has emphasised the need for a united front and collective action to address the challenges confronting the West African region, such as terrorism, violent extremism, and coups.
This was part of the welcome address delivered by Vice President Kashim Shettima, who represented President Tinubu at the 68th Ordinary Session of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Authority of Heads of State and Government, which took place at the State House Conference Centre, reports Channels TV.
Tinubu said no single nation can achieve stability alone. He assured the gathering that Nigeria stands committed to collective action in defence of the region’s collective future.
In his opening address, ECOWAS Chairman and President of Sierra Leone, Julius Bio, also added his voice to the call for collective action, including the need for integrated intelligence systems and coordinated border operations.
Bio condemned the unconstitutional change of government in Guinea-Bissau and the attempt in the Republic of Benin, commending the rapid mobilisation of ECOWAS troops, with Nigeria taking the lead to safeguard constitutional order.
He emphasised the need for legitimate leadership and accountable governance as crucial for regional stability.
In a bid to make mobility, opportunity, and inclusion accessible to all in the region, he announced that beginning from January 2026, the community will implement a landmark measure to reduce the cost of air travel across West Africa.
Under this agreement, member states will abolish air transport taxes and reduce passenger and security charges by 25%.
The meeting came in the wake of a successful putsch in Guinea-Bissau in November, and a foiled military takeover in Benin a week ago has rattled regional bloc ECOWAS.
The bloc was previously hit with a string of coups between 2020 and 2023 in Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, and Niger — all of whom are still under junta control.
“The events of the last few weeks have shown in concrete terms what regional solidarity means,” ECOWAS commission president Alieu Touray said at the opening ceremony of a heads of state summit in Abuja.
