Agence de Presse Ouest-Africaine
Agence de Presse Ouest-Africaine
ECOWAS conducted a five-day training on physical security and stockpile management for Nigerian security personnel in Port Harcourt from 7 to 11 September 2026. The programme, held with the Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies and Nigeria's national small arms centre, drew participants from twelve agencies and included a visit to the Nigerian Army's 29 Battalion armoury.
The ECOWAS Resident Representation in Senegal held a workshop in Pointe Sarène from September 15 to 19, 2026, reviewing its 2025-2026 activities and setting programming and budgeting for 2027-2029. Participants assessed physical and financial execution, identified constraints and agreed priorities, responsibilities and a monitoring system. The Representation now holds a consolidated framework for the three-year period.
The ECOWAS Center for Gender Development, Côte d'Ivoire's Ministry of Women, Family, and Children, and the Akwaba Mousso Association held a two-day capacity building workshop in Abidjan on September 16–17, 2026, for Judicial Police Officers, GBV focal points in the justice sector, and other frontline actors. The workshop aimed to strengthen practical skills in preventing gender-based violence, identifying victims, and providing holistic care to survivors. Speakers including ECOWAS representative Ms. Fathmah Mahan and CCDG Director Ms. Sandra Oulaté Fattoh called for a coordinated, multisectoral response and a zero-tolerance approach to violence against women and girls.
GIABA opened a three-day regional training workshop on investigative journalism covering economic and financial crimes in Accra, Ghana, running from 22 to 24 September 2026. Journalists from across West Africa are attending sessions on financial investigation, open-source intelligence and beneficial ownership analysis. GIABA and Ghana Financial Intelligence Centre officials addressed the opening, with the programme also covering cross-border media networking.
Directors of ECOWAS institutions and agencies are meeting in Lagos from 21 to 30 September 2026 to align a medium-term expenditure framework for 2027–2029 with the Commission's 2026–2030 strategic priorities and to review the 2027 programme budget. Vice-President Oluwatosin Anthony Ogunjimi launched the retreat on behalf of Commission President General Birame Diop.
The ECOWAS Commission received journalists from its Member States at its new Abuja headquarters on 18 September 2026, where Director of Communications Joel AHOFODJI briefed them on the institution's structure and the upcoming ECOWAS Media Excellence Awards. Vice President H.E. Anthony Oluwatosin Ogunjimi also addressed the visiting journalists, who later toured the newly completed complex.
The President of the ECOWAS Commission, H.E. General Birame Diop, and the President of the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice, Hon. Justice Ricardo Cláudio Monteiro Gonçalves, have reaffirmed their commitment to stronger cooperation among ECOWAS institutions, the rule of law and regional integration. The two leaders spoke during the Commission President's official visit to the Court in Abuja, where they called for closer collaboration among the Community's principal organs while preserving their respective mandates and independence.
ECOWAS convened the second Steering Committee meeting for the Regional Clean Cooking Action in West Africa in Abuja on 18 September 2026. The €17 million programme, funded by the EU and the Netherlands, aims to reach 750,000 people with clean cooking solutions. Partners reviewed technical progress and discussed national ownership, gender equity and market development.
ECOWAS, UEMOA and CILSS convened the 13th Ordinary Session of the Technical Experts Committee of the Permanent Framework for Coordination and Monitoring of Integrated Water Resources Management in Abidjan on 22 September 2026. Delegates reviewed the implementation of fourteen ministerial resolutions, noted two regional directives still awaiting publication, and prepared recommendations for the 6th Ministerial Monitoring Committee. The outcomes will feed into the First West Africa Regional Water Forum on 24-25 September 2026.
The ECOWAS Regional Competition Authority held its first Annual Conference in Bijilo, The Gambia, from 15 to 17 September 2026, drawing close to 300 participants from twelve Member States. The conference closed with a declaration presented by ERCA Executive Director Dr Simeon Konan Koffi, alongside remarks from ECOWAS Commissioner Dehpue Zuo and Gambian Trade Minister Mod K. Ceesay.