The West African regional body, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is at a crossroads as it changes its leadership at a time of growing challenges. The June summit of the Authority of Heads of State and Government in Abuja unveiled the growing rifts within the group as Nigeria’s Bola Ahmed Tinubu handed over to Sierra Leone’s Julius Maada Bio. The transition of power proceeded without incident. However, the deep-rooted problems facing ECOWAS reveal an institution fighting to preserve unity when its very existence is in question.
Leaders of member-states gathered amid the region’s most unstable climate in decades. Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have already left ECOWAS, forming their own Sahel coalition. Their full exit by July 2025 could weaken the bloc significantly, at a time when strong regional leadership is most critical.
Tinubu’s two-year term as chair was defined by his firm opposition to military coups, particularly the sanctions enacted after Niger’s 2023 power grab. Some viewed this as a principled stance, but the measures did not reinstate elected leadership and may have hastened the Sahel countries’ exit. Supporters of the outgoing chairman say his firm position protected democratic values in a region where constitutional stability is increasingly fragile.
Economic issues dominated discussions ahead of the summit, prompting Tinubu to organise the inaugural West Africa Economic Summit in response to the region’s persistently weak trade ties. The region’s meagre 10% internal trade, a persistent weak point for ECOWAS, drew sharp focus at the talks. Critics again highlighted how exporting raw materials without processing them continues to rob local economies of badly needed revenue. A freshly signed Nigeria-Benin trade deal provided cautious optimism, but its narrow reach only emphasises how much work remains.
Tinubu handed over to Bio with parting words that sounded hopeful, perhaps too hopeful, given the bloc’s fragile state. The new chairman now leads an organisation facing unprecedented doubts about its purpose after half a century of existence. Bio’s own political journey, from coup leader to elected president, reflects the contradictions ECOWAS must now confront.
The Sierra Leonean president faces urgent tasks. They include reviving trust in democratic rule, enhancing security collaboration, reviving economic ties, and salvaging the bloc’s reputation. Each target strikes at ECOWAS’s weakest points, though delivering results will test the organisation far more than drafting plans ever could.
West Africa faces a critical juncture, security threats, political turmoil, and economic strain now test Bio’s leadership. The question on many lips is whether he can steer ECOWAS back to relevance, and stop the bloc from further losing ground.
ECOWAS faces a simple choice. It either changes course or watch the crisis deepen. Observers of the regional body say empty strategies will not stop the Sahel’s jihadist spread, nor stem the flood of smuggled weapons feeding regional violence. The standby force, meant to be Africa’s answer to these threats, remains crippled by empty coffers and broken promises.
The summit’s call to expedite its deployment reflects a growing urgency, but Bio will need to secure additional resources and navigate the absence of the AES countries, whose territories are central to the region’s security challenges. His pledge to revitalise security cooperation must also contend with the AES’s competing security partnership, which has further fragmented regional efforts.
Economic integration, another of Bio’s priorities, is equally critical but elusive. ECOWAS’s latest trade and infrastructure plans could drive business growth and job opportunities, especially for women and young workers. There are worries, however, over the delayed common currency, rescheduled for 2027, as the bloc struggles with persistent political instability and economic uncertainty.
Cross-border supply chains show promise in the WAES report, yet momentum falters. Stakeholders struggle to coordinate while aging infrastructure crumbles under pressure. Persistent logistical snarls and operational breakdowns keep choking progress, pushing potential economic benefits further out of reach.
Bio’s track record as a champion for regional cooperation, highlighted during his WAES speech, now faces scrutiny as he works to turn promises into results. The Afreximbank Annual Meetings, held in late June in Abuja, offered an opportunity to advance the progress made at WAES, and a platform to show genuine political commitment.
Perhaps Bio’s most daunting task is restoring ECOWAS’s institutional credibility. The organisation’s handling of the Sahel coups and the AES withdrawal has drawn sharp criticism. Many argue that the bloc has rushed through crises instead of seeking diplomatic solutions. They say Bio’s promise to reform the group, ensuring greater transparency and accountability, will carry little weight unless he first addresses the deep divisions tearing ECOWAS apart.
Member states want proof their concerns still matter. The summit’s closing statement talked up unity and progress, but the empty chairs of three major players tell a different story. Bio’s appeal for regional solidarity must move beyond speeches, practical engagement with the AES is necessary, no matter how difficult reconciliation appears, regional political observers say
The Abuja summit marked a turning point for ECOWAS, a time to reflect as much as to act. Tinubu’s leadership faced no shortage of obstacles, yet it still pushed through key moves like the WAES and doubled down on democratic principles.
Bio steps into leadership at ECOWAS’s most precarious moment in years. The bloc seems like it is cracking under pressure. On paper, his plans look solid, defending democracy, cooling off regional flare-ups, tightening economic bonds, and dragging outdated institutions into the modern age. But pundits say none of it means much if he can not stitch the fractured region back together or convince wary member states to trust his leadership.
West Africa needs an ECOWAS that works, one that stops bloodshed and jumpstarts real growth. As Bio takes charge, optimism lingers, but it is tempered by hard truths. Regional watchers say unity means nothing without results. They say the road ahead will not be easy, but if he can bring the bloc together, ECOWAS might finally become what it was meant to be: an organisation that actually keeps the peace, not just another platform for rhetoric.
