ECOWAS pushes citizen-led integration at Vision 2050 session in Cabo Verde

BY Richmond Fordjour Ampofo
May 5, 2026

The ECOWAS Commission, led by Vice-President Damtien L. Tchintchibidja, has convened a high-level national advocacy session in Praia, Cabo Verde, to promote citizen-driven regional integration under the ECOWAS Vision 2050.

Held on April 27, 2026, the session aimed to shift the regional narrative from an “ECOWAS of States” to an “ECOWAS of Peoples,” placing citizens at the centre of the integration process.

The Praia engagement forms part of a coordinated regional rollout, with similar advocacy sessions held simultaneously in The Gambia and Côte d’Ivoire. The initiative builds on recent institutional reforms, including the adoption of a new inter-institutional communication strategy (2026–2030) designed to deepen public awareness and ownership of ECOWAS programmes.

The session brought together a broad range of stakeholders, including government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, private sector representatives, civil society organisations, and development partners.

Discussions focused on raising awareness of Vision 2050, strengthening national ownership, and encouraging stakeholder engagement to support the effective implementation of the bloc’s long-term development agenda.

Participants emphasised the importance of citizen engagement, improved institutional coordination, and sustained national commitment as critical drivers of regional integration.

Notable contributors included Director General for External Policy and Regional Integration of Cabo Verde, Carlos Fernandes Semedo, Acting Resident Representative of the ECOWAS Commission in Cabo Verde, Kelly Lopes, Acting Director of the ECOWAS Early Warning Directorate, Onyinye Onwuka, and Head of Strategic Planning, Programming and Coordination at the Directorate of Strategic Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Mamadu Mudjataba Baldé.

The session underscores ECOWAS’s broader shift toward a more inclusive, people-centred integration model aimed at fostering sustainable development and shared prosperity across member states. It also reflects a renewed push by the regional bloc to ensure that Vision 2050 is widely understood, locally owned, and effectively implemented