Agence de Presse Ouest-Africaine
Agence de Presse Ouest-Africaine
ECOWAS Commission Vice-President Oluwatosin Anthony Ogunjimie concluded a two-day working mission to The Gambia on 29 September 2026, his first working visit to the country. The programme included meetings with ECOWAS structures, field visits to Regional Stabilisation and Development Fund projects, a courtesy call on Gambian Vice-President Mohammed BS Jallow and a visit to ECOMIG troops.
The ECOWAS Commission opened the second edition of its Startup Awards in Abuja on September 28, 2026, with 60 finalists selected from 1,499 qualified applications across 12 member states. The top three startups will receive US$30,000, US$20,000 and US$15,000 at a ceremony on September 30, which also features investor deal rooms and a ministerial dialogue on MSMEs and trade.
Delegates at a regional review meeting on the ECOWAS Policy on Children, held in Abuja and concluded on 25 September 2026, adopted recommendations urging Member States to raise child protection budget allocations to 3 per cent and to replicate the ECRIMS data system nationally. The recommendations also called on the ECOWAS Commission to continue resource mobilisation and coordination efforts, and on development partners to sustain support for Member States' capacity-building.
ECOWAS has used World Rabies Day to urge member states, health services and communities to intensify joint efforts against rabies. The bloc's Regional Animal Health Centre in Bissau cited regional surveillance data showing dog-transmitted rabies accounted for 38.8 per cent of reported priority zoonoses outbreaks in the first quarter of 2026.
The ECOWAS Commission sent a delegation led by Chairperson General Biram Diop to the 81st UN General Assembly in New York from 22 to 27 September 2026. The delegation took part in plenary sessions and held meetings with UN officials, African Union and ECCAS counterparts, and the European Commissioner for International Partnerships. Nigeria's Vice-President Kashim Shettima received the delegation and urged the new ECOWAS leadership to prioritise unity and regional integration.
The First West Africa Regional Water Forum closed in Abidjan on 25 September 2026 with the adoption of the Abidjan Declaration on Water Security and Sustainable Development, built on five strategic pillars. Delegates approved a Regional Follow-up Committee and a specialised Negotiation Task Force, and designated Cabo Verde to host the second edition.
ECOWAS, the European Union and GIZ held a technical session in Abuja on 24 September 2026 to finalise workplans for 13 strategic reform processes under the Trade in Services Programme. Participants reviewed priorities, sequencing, timelines and institutional responsibilities, including activities through March 2029. GIZ's Dr. Hartmut James said the next stage would be to validate the workplans and proceed towards implementation.
ECOWAS Resident Representative in Benin, Ambassador Amadou Diongue, presented a donation to the 'House of Joy' Child Care and Protection Centre in Ouidah on September 21, 2026. The contribution included food, school supplies, vocational equipment, and 500,000 CFA for tuition fees. The ceremony was attended by local officials and the children at the centre.
Water ministers from across West Africa adopted strategic resolutions on regional water governance at the 6th Ordinary Session of the Ministerial Monitoring Committee on IWRM in Abidjan, convened under ECOWAS, WAEMU and CILSS. The decisions cover revision of the West African Water Resources Policy, operationalisation of the African Water Vision 2063 and institutionalisation of the West Africa Regional Water Forum. The outcomes will inform the First West Africa Regional Water Forum, scheduled for 24–25 September 2026 in Abidjan.
ECOWAS officials met in Abuja with member state directors responsible for children's rights to assess progress on the bloc's Child Policy and its 2019–2030 Strategic Action Plan. Speakers pointed to poverty, conflict and displacement as obstacles to children's rights, and called for stronger accountability and child participation.