Citizens want results, not promises, ECOWAS chair tells Member States at headquarters inauguration

President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone, Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, has urged West African leaders to move beyond promises and deliver tangible improvements in the lives of citizens.

He said the regional bloc’s success would ultimately be judged by its ability to create jobs, strengthen democracy, deepen regional integration and ensure peace and security across the region.

Bio made the call on Thursday at the Official Commissioning of the new ECOWAS Headquarters in Abuja, stressing that citizens want a tangible reality that creates opportunities, expands prosperity and strengthens regional security.

The new Headquarters, valued at N78 billion ($56.5 million), was constructed as a China-Aid Project and formally inaugurated the bloc’s new phase in its regional integration agenda..

According to the Sierra Leone leader, ECOWAS will only truly fulfill its mandate, when young people can find opportunities within West Africa instead of seeking greener pastures abroad and when women can participate fully and equally in shaping economies

He said, “Our citizens are no longer waiting for promises; they are waiting for results that improve their daily lives.

“They want regional integration not as an aspiration on paper but as a tangible reality that creates opportunities, expands prosperity and strengthens the security across our region.

“They want traders to move across borders without unnecessary barriers.”

However, Bio acknowledged that West Africa continues to face significant challenges, warning that climate change is placing pressure on citizens’ food security and communities across the region, while global economic uncertainty is testing the resilience of member states and the well-being of the citizens.

He also expressed concern over democratic setbacks in parts of West Africa, noting that constitutional order has been disrupted, democratic governance interrupted, as the path to civilian rule remains uncertain.

“These developments extend far beyond the countries directly concerned. They affect the confidence of our citizens, the credibility of our community,  and the moral authority with which we speak for West Africa, “ he added.

He maintained that ECOWAS  remained guided by principle rather than by expediency, in response to the political crises, insisting that it has continued to defend constitutional order while keeping the door to dialogue open in pursuit of peace and constitutional political transitions.

Representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Nigeria’s Vice President Kashim Shettima, said that the next phase of ECOWAS integration must move beyond aspirations to concrete action, urging Member States to transform the regional market into a production base driven by industrialisation, innovation and intra-African trade.

He said regional integration was no longer solely an economic imperative but had to become essential for collective security, political stability, sustainable development and welfare of West Africans.

Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Yu Dunhai, described the new ECOWAS headquarters as a landmark of China-Africa cooperation and a testament of China’s longstanding support for African integration.

He said the facility, dubbed the “Eye of West Africa” is a flagship project under the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and reflects the shared vision of West African nations for unity, strength and prosperity

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