Michael Olugbode in Abuja

The President of ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Touray, has said that West Africa is currently facing security and democracy crises, which have threatened to derail the sub-region’s integration agenda.

He made this known at the African Public Square (APS) Second Continental Edition Conference at the weekend in Abuja, with the theme: Future Proofing Regional Integration in Africa: ECOWAS @50.

APS is a platform that was created to instigate debates on African peace, security, and development among African public intellectuals of diverse backgrounds.

Convened by Amandla Institute and African Leadership Centre, the event brought together leaders, policymakers, and academics to examine how ECOWAS can redefine its integration framework amid growing political, economic, and security challenges.

Touray, represented by ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah, said the commission had commenced a series of introspective talks toward addressing ECOWAS’ entire integration framework.

According to him, the process is citizens-led and the outcome of all deliberations will end up in a draft pact that will determine the path that ECOWAS will take in the next 15 years.

“I would argue that we have a crisis of security, and then we have a crisis of democracy in West Africa today.

“We have to navigate between a lot that has been said about terrorism, violence, terrorism, and others.

“Democracy is also in crisis. It is in crisis today in West Africa, and it doesn’t seem like leaders have learned their lesson,” he said.

He traced the evolution of ECOWAS from its formation in 1975 amid linguistic and colonial divides to its resilience during post-Cold War conflicts and the current struggle to navigate internal democratic crises in a shifting global order.

Touray warned that the world was entering what he termed a “warm war” era, a phase of global realignments and strategic rivalry, and urged West Africa to make deliberate choices to protect its collective interests.

He decried the growing political exclusion in some member states, which he said undermined democracy and contributed to the Sahel state’s recent withdrawal from the regional bloc.

“Only renewed commitment to inclusivity, good governance, and dialogue can bring the estranged members back into the ECOWAS family.

“Today’s popular method of team capture is by member states eliminating dangerous opponents, whether political parties or candidates, from the electoral process,” he said.

Also speaking, former Governor of Ekiti State and one-time Minister of Solid Minerals, Dr Kayode Fayemi, attributed West Africa’s security crisis to governance failures, as opposed to insurgency.

He argued that corruption, exclusion, and weak institutions had done greater damage to regional stability than armed groups.

Fayemi, who is also the co–founder of Amandla Institute, warned that no amount of military firepower would bring lasting peace without addressing the root causes of public discontent.

“What we face is not just a security deficit, it’s a governance deficit. Until we rebuild trust between leaders and citizens, insecurity will remain our daily reality,” he said.

Fayemi said the resurgence of coups and violent extremism across the region reflected citizens’ deepening loss of faith in democratic governance.

He also warned that military takeovers, however well-intentioned, would not cure the underlying inequality, unemployment, and poverty that continued to feed instability.

“ECOWAS must move beyond an elite-driven community of rulers to one that truly represents its people, particularly the youth and women.

“Overdependence on donor funding and stalled reforms threaten its long-term relevance,” he said.

Executive Secretary of the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA), Godwin Murunga, said that integration must move beyond state-centric models to people-led movements.

​