ECOWAS Commission President General Birame Diop used his first official visit to OECD headquarters in Paris to press for the 2025 memorandum of understanding to become concrete activity, citing political commitment, technical cooperation and resources.
The meeting with OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann took place on 1 October 2026, according to a report from the Economic Community of West African States. It was among Diop’s first engagements since he assumed office on 1 September 2026.
Both sides reviewed progress in implementing the ECOWAS–OECD Memorandum of Understanding signed in October 2025 and discussed possible new areas of cooperation under the Enhanced OECD-Africa Partnership.
Diop briefed Cormann on the outcomes of the 69th Ordinary Summit of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, citing the adoption of the Compact for the Future of Regional Integration, ongoing institutional reforms and what the report describes as the new Commission leadership’s determination to strengthen implementation of agreed regional priorities.
Cormann reaffirmed the OECD’s commitment to deepening cooperation with ECOWAS under the Enhanced OECD-Africa Partnership.
He pointed to the economic potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area and the importance of open markets and regional integration in promoting sustainable economic growth, and invited ECOWAS to take part in the OECD Africa Partnership Board, a platform for contributing to the strategic orientation of the partnership.
Discussions identified priority areas for cooperation: AfCFTA implementation, investment promotion and the mobilisation of quality foreign direct investment, capital market development, food security and agricultural transformation, infrastructure connectivity, critical minerals value chains, governance and institutional reforms, and regional competitiveness.
The ECOWAS delegation also met the OECD Directorate for Global Relations and Cooperation and joined a high-level dialogue on the Enhanced OECD-Africa Partnership that brought together representatives of regional and international institutions, OECD member countries and West African partners.
In those engagements, Diop said the central mandate of the new ECOWAS Commission management is to ensure effective implementation of agreed programmes and policies.
He cited strong institutions, sound regulatory frameworks, effective competition policies and an improved business environment as factors in attracting investment and advancing regional economic transformation.
The talks also covered integrating peace and security considerations into development initiatives, strengthening capital markets and exploring analytical support for the future ECOWAS single currency programme.
Participants acknowledged the role of the Sahel and West Africa Club in promoting policy dialogue, regional analysis and partnership-building.
The OECD expressed readiness to support ECOWAS through policy advice, peer-learning mechanisms, governance assessments and capacity development, with particular emphasis on AfCFTA implementation, infrastructure connectivity and investment promotion.
On follow-up, the two institutions said they would strengthen regular technical consultations and work towards translating the outcomes of the visit into a joint programme of activities.
Proposed next steps include establishing a joint technical coordination mechanism, designating institutional focal points and developing a joint ECOWAS–OECD work programme aligned with the memorandum.
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