First edition of the west African festival of arts and culture (ECOFEST) Dakar 2025: inaugural conference and Youth–Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)–Union Économique et Monétaire Ouest-Africaine (UEMOA) dialogue

Discussions also focused on strengthening civic participation and enhancing the contribution of young people to the construction of a stable, inclusive and integrated West African regional space

As part of the first edition of the West African Arts and Culture Festival (ECOFEST), holding in Dakar from 30 November to 6 December 2025, two major highlights marked activities on 1 December 2025 at the Grand Théâtre National Doudou Ndiaye Coumba Rose: the inaugural conference and an interactive dialogue…

Prime minister Ousmane Sonko of Senegal presides over the opening ceremony of the first edition of the west African festival of arts and culture (ECOFEST 2025) in Dakar

ECOFEST 2025 will run until 6 December, featuring a rich programme of exhibitions, concerts, performances, professional meetings, workshops and cultural exchanges

On Sunday, 30 November 2025, the City of Dakar, host of the event, welcomed the official launch of the first edition of the West African Festival of Arts and Culture. The opening ceremony was held under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister, H.E. Mr. Ousmane Sonko. Jointly organized by the…

Return of Cultural Heritage and Property to Their Countries of Origin: the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) Ministers Adopt a Joint Action Plan

The ministers also emphasized the importance of strengthening cooperation with international organizations, development partners, civil society, and cultural networks to advance the region’s cultural agenda

On the eve of the West African Arts and Culture Festival (ECOFEST), the Commissions of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) convened a meeting of ministers responsible for culture from both organizations’ Member States on Sunday, November 30, 2025.…

Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) holds validation workshop for the draft regional e-government strategy

The meeting brought together senior officials, digital economy experts and representatives from ministries, regulatory bodies, and institutions across all ECOWAS Member States

The ECOWAS Commission, in collaboration with the World Bank and Sense Strategy under the West Africa Regional Digital Integration Programme (WARDIP), convened a validation workshop in Abuja, Nigeria, on 25th November 2025 to review the draft Regional E-Government Strategy a major milestone in the region’s digital transformation agenda. The meeting brought together senior officials, digital…

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission holds training and capacity-building workshop for border officials and key stakeholders at the Akanu-Noepe Joint Border Post (JBP) between Ghana and Togo

The training sought to strengthen the operational capacity of border officials and enhance coordination among key agencies by improving their understanding of the JBP concept

The ECOWAS Commission, with the support of TradeMark Africa, organized a two-day training and capacity-building workshop for border officials at the Akanu-Noepe Joint Border Post between the Republic of Ghana and the Republic of Togo from 20-21 November 2025 in Lomé, Togo. The training sought to strengthen the operational capacity…

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) permanent observer mission to the United Nations concludes expert-level election officers retreat and high-level permanent representatives retreat

The meeting also resulted in the consolidation of regional agreement on outstanding candidatures requiring further alignment and strengthened expert-level coordination and information-sharing

The ECOWAS Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations successfully concluded two end-of-year retreats: Expert-Level Retreat of Election Officers from the 14th to 16th of November, 2025 and High-Level Retreat of Permanent Representatives from 21st to 22nd of November, 2025 in New York, United States of America. The retreats are aimed at enhancing regional…

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)-The Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) coordination meeting: reviewing cooperation and planning for 2026

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) held a virtual work meeting on November 18, 2025. The meeting, co-organised by ECOWAS External Relations and AECID, brought together representatives from AECID, the ECOWAS Commission, and various ECOWAS Agencies to review the…

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) launches the digital ecosystem of the ECOWAS Centre for gender development (CCDG) at a regional workshop in Saly, Senegal

Through the official launch of this Digital Ecosystem, the CCDG aims to facilitate real-time data collection, enhance the coherence of reporting, and strengthen regional collaboration on gender-equality initiatives

The ECOWAS Centre for Gender Development (CCDG), under the leadership of the ECOWAS Commissioner for Human Development and Social Affairs, is holding a regional capacity-building workshop on the CCDG Digital Ecosystem from 24 to 28 November 2025 in Saly, Republic of Senegal. The objective of the workshop is to train…

Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Election Observation Mission observes peaceful, orderly and transparent election day in Bissau

Initial findings reflected confidence in the conduct of the polls and reaffirmed ECOWAS’ sustained commitment to strengthening democratic governance and electoral integrity in Guinea-Bissau

The ECOWAS Election Observation Mission (EOM), led by Ambassador Issufu Baba Braimah Kamara, observed a calm, orderly and transparent voting process during the opening and closing of polling stations observed in Bissau. The Mission deployed a high-level delegation across key locations to assess procedural compliance, operational readiness, the presence of…

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) convenes member state focal points in Lome to validate documents to enhance Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) immersion program implementation

The objective of the immersion program is to offer young TVET graduates practical experiences in relevant industries

The ECOWAS Department of Human Development and Social Affairs, through its Directorate of Education, Science and Culture, organized a meeting on the ECOWAS Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) immersion program for TVET graduates in industries in Lome, Togo, from 18th to 21st November 2025, which aimed to present the…