ECOWAS Parliament Urges Stronger Democracy, Faster African Continental Free Trade Area Implementation

The ECOWAS Parliament has called for stronger democratic governance and accelerated implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as it opened its First Parliamentary Seminar and First Extraordinary Session of 2026 in Abuja.

Declaring the session open at the Parliament’s headquarters, Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Hadja Mémounatou Ibrahima, said West Africa must move beyond rhetoric and deliver measurable economic transformation through deeper regional integration.

“The AfCFTA presents a historic opportunity to transform our economies,” she said. “But integration must be implemented, not merely proclaimed.”

Ibrahima noted that intra-regional trade within West Africa remains below 10 percent, describing the figure as unacceptable for a regional bloc of nearly 400 million citizens. She called for harmonised trade laws, removal of non-tariff barriers, digitalised customs systems, and stronger legislative oversight to ensure the free movement of goods across borders.

“Our responsibility is clear — to make AfCFTA a true lever for structural transformation in West Africa,” she added.

Over the decades, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has introduced frameworks such as the Trade Liberalisation Scheme and protocols on democracy and good governance, while playing a central role in peacekeeping and conflict resolution across the sub-region.

With AfCFTA seeking to create a single African market, ECOWAS is aligning its regional trade and legislative mechanisms with continental objectives to boost industrialisation and economic growth.

President of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Alieu Touray, represented by Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, Kalilou Sylla, reiterated the bloc’s zero-tolerance stance on unconstitutional changes of government.

“Democracy remains the foundation for successful regional integration and sustainable development,” he stated, stressing that political instability undermines economic cooperation.

Nigeria’s Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, represented by the First Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Barau Jibrin, said AfCFTA offers ECOWAS an opportunity to upscale its integration achievements, strengthen regional value chains and attract investment, renewing West Africa’s leadership in advancing Africa’s collective economic prosperity.

Also speaking, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, represented by the Head of ECOWAS National Unit, Nonyelum Afoekelu, described the seminar’s theme — “Deepening Regional Integration through AfCFTA: Opportunities and Challenges for Expanding Intra-Community Trade” — as timely and strategic.

She noted that ECOWAS already possesses institutional frameworks that can be harmonised with AfCFTA to fast-track regional competitiveness.

Lawmakers are expected to deliberate on legislative harmonisation, trade facilitation, and strategies to empower women, youth and small-scale enterprises under the AfCFTA framework.

The session is expected to set the tone for the Parliament’s activities in 2026 as the region seeks to consolidate democratic governance and accelerate economic integration.