President Bola Tinubu has lauded the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for fostering regional integration.

Mr Tinubu spoke on Tuesday in Accra, Ghana, at the inauguration of a series of events to mark the regional body’s golden jubilee.

Presidential aide Bayo Onanuga said in a statement that Bianca Ojukwu, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, represented the president.

Mr Tinubu, also the ECOWAS Authorities of Heads of State and Government chairman, said the bloc had remained true to the bold vision created by its founding fathers and was a beacon of hope for the region’s more than 400 million citizens.

“Today, we celebrate numerous remarkable achievements that distinguish ECOWAS as the most successful regional economic community on the African continent.

“In five decades, we have established one of Africa’s most vibrant free trade areas, fostering intra-regional commerce and lifting millions from poverty,” he said.

The president, however, noted that the journey over the past five decades had not been without challenges.

“We have faced political instability, economic hardship, infrastructural deficits and security threats. But we remain undaunted.

“Despite our shared vision, too many of our citizens still live in poverty, too many of our children lack access to quality education, and too many of our youths remain unemployed, disillusioned, or forced to seek opportunities abroad,” said Mr Tinubu.

He urged ECOWAS members to reimagine the organisation as a community of people, not merely as a community of states, where the region must invest in education, innovation, and skills development to unleash Africa’s full potential.

Mr Tinubu also called for deepening economic cooperation and support for intra-regional trade, noting that all hands must be on deck to ensure the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) becomes a vehicle for genuine transformation.

President John Mahama of Ghana said the community’s citizens must feel that ECOWAS was not just some bureaucracy but a living organisation that understood their hopes and aspirations.

He also announced that Ghana would offer 1,000 scholarships to university students across the ECOWAS subregion to enhance educational opportunities for young people in West Africa.

ECOWAS unveiled its official Golden Jubilee logo and theme during the inauguration, setting the tone for a year-long series of commemorative events.

(NAN)