The consultation, organised by the ECOWAS Commission’s Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security (PAPS), coincides with a parallel meeting in Accra, Ghana, focused on democracy and governance.
Together, the outcomes of the two gatherings will feed into the drafting of the “Pact for the Future of Regional Integration in ECOWAS”, to be presented at an upcoming Special Summit of Heads of State and Government.
Opening the Bissau session, Dr Adamu Mohammed Sani, Acting Head of the ECOWAS Peace Support Operations Division, highlighted the inclusive nature of the dialogue.
He noted that the meeting draws participants from across professional bodies, private sector representatives, youth and women’s groups to reflect on governance, peace, and security challenges while setting aspirations for future generations.
Delivering a welcome address on behalf of the ECOWAS Commission President, Ambassador Ngozi Ukaeje, the Commission’s Resident Representative in Guinea-Bissau, stressed the importance of hosting the forum in Bissau.
She said the discussions would not only address present challenges but also define a roadmap for future stability and integration.
Presenting an overview, Rt. Hon. Hakeem Jamiu urged participants to focus on concrete responses to threats such as violent extremism, organised crime, illicit arms flows, and governance gaps. “What we decide here must connect directly to the daily realities of West African citizens,” he stated.
Civil society voices also featured prominently. Madame Salama Njie, National Coordinator of the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) in The Gambia, reaffirmed regional networks’ commitment to collaborative peacebuilding.
Likewise, Madame Beatrice Baiden of Ghana, representing women, youth, and children’s groups, stressed the need for inclusivity to deliver tangible change rather than “just another meeting of meetings”.
By convening parallel consultations in Bissau and Accra, ECOWAS is seeking to ensure the Pact reflects the region’s full spectrum of priorities, from democracy and governance to peace and security. The dialogues come as ECOWAS marks five decades of regional integration, a history marked by achievements such as free movement, collective peacekeeping and joint responses to health and security crises.
Organisers hope the consultations will renew that legacy, anchoring regional policies in the lived realities of citizens while strengthening democratic governance, enhancing security frameworks, and deepening integration.
Ultimately, the initiative underscores ECOWAS’ vision of a community that is inclusive, resilient, and committed to peace, stability, and shared prosperity for all West Africans.
