ECOWAS Must Reconnect With Citizens to Remain Relevant, Experts Warn

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Governance experts have urged the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to overhaul its approach to democracy, economic integration and regional stability, warning that the bloc risks further eroding its legitimacy if it continues to drift away from citizens’ concerns.

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The call was made during a panel discussion on Monday, the opening day of the West Africa Media and Development Conference (MDC 3.0), organised by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) in Abuja.

Speaking on the panel themed “ECOWAS at 50: Reimagining Democracy and Development in the Region,” Mina Mensah, Director of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), Africa Office, said recent public support for military takeovers in West Africa underscores widespread frustration with democratic decline and institutional failures.

She noted that some departing member states have accused ECOWAS of being vulnerable to external political and economic influence—a perception, she said, that further undermines the bloc’s credibility.

Founded in 1975 to promote economic integration and regional cooperation, ECOWAS remains the most prominent political and economic body in West Africa. However, in recent years, it has come under scrutiny for inconsistent responses to democratic breaches, weak enforcement of human rights and limited impact on citizens’ daily lives.

Ms Mensah faulted the bloc’s selective defence of democracy, saying it responds swiftly when military juntas seize power but often ignores abuses perpetrated by elected governments.

“ECOWAS is very quick at protecting democracy when a coup happens, but it tends to turn a blind eye when abuses occur under democratic governments,” she said.

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She also criticised the sanction regime imposed on erring states, arguing that punitive economic measures fall hardest on ordinary citizens rather than political elites.

“People are already suffering. Sanctions that target the economy hit the citizenry most and rarely affect those in power,” she said.

Ms Mensah noted that despite its founding mandate, ECOWAS has yet to demonstrate the benefits of regional integration to ordinary people. She pointed to persistently low intra-regional trade—between five and ten per cent—and recounted “embarrassing” experiences at West African borders, insisting that the bloc’s promise of free movement remains largely unrealised.

For ECOWAS to remain relevant, she said, it must deliver tangible value and hold member states accountable for commitments they have signed.

Matthew Ayibakuro, Governance Adviser at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), said ECOWAS also suffers from a visibility and engagement deficit. Citing Afrobarometer data showing that only 56 per cent of West Africans are aware of the bloc, he argued that ECOWAS has not cultivated a strong civic presence or communicated its relevance effectively.

He said most citizens only encounter the organisation during moments of crisis—such as peacekeeping missions in Liberia or economic standoffs.

“People mostly feel ECOWAS when borders are closed and trade stops, like when Nigeria shut its land borders. Otherwise, the organisation remains distant from everyday life,” he said.

Mr Ayibakuro added that shrinking civic spaces and weak economies across the sub-region further hinder citizens’ ability to engage with or understand ECOWAS institutions.

Reimagining democracy

Also speaking on the panel, Chukwuemeka Eze, Director of Democratic Tenure Resilience at the Open Society Foundation, said democracy in West Africa must be redefined to prioritise citizens rather than states.

He argued that countries in the region continue to emphasise procedural democracy—elections and constitutional formality—while neglecting substantive issues such as accountability, civic empowerment and institutional resilience.

“Re-imagining democracy means nurturing institutions that are stronger than individuals and ensuring that power remains accountable to the people,” he said.

Mr Eze added that democratic renewal in the region must draw on African traditions of dialogue, solidarity and community, rather than relying solely on external models that do not reflect local realities.

He questioned the persistence of coups on the continent, urging policymakers to examine the governance failures and political economies that make military intervention possible.

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He also called for urgent reforms to ECOWAS’s normative frameworks, including its conflict-prevention protocol, which he said no longer responds to current security and political dynamics.

The bloc’s peacekeeping missions, he warned, have become increasingly expensive and overstretched, while deterrence measures—if poorly implemented—risk undermining democratic processes.

According to him, ECOWAS must confront its institutional crisis, strengthen its protective mechanisms and bring citizens more directly into decision-making if it hopes to rebuild public trust.