The Minister of Defence, Dr. Edward Kofi Omane Boamah, wants West African leaders to promote stability and economic growth by pooling their respective strengths together.
He says it is critical, especially at this juncture, where volatility has taken centre stage on the global political stage.
Speaking as Special Guest of Honour at the Republic Day Lecture organised by the One Ghana Movement and the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College on Thursday, July 3, 2025, on the theme “ECOWAS and its Survival: Impact of the Alliance of Sahelian States and the Way Forward,” Dr. Omane Boamah admonished the subregional bloc to adapt quickly to the emerging trends in order not to be left out.
The Minister is calling on all stakeholders to bring their best foot forward to help it stay relevant as a bloc globally.
“As we discuss the future of ECOWAS, it is essential to think strategically about leveraging collective strengths to promote peace, stability and economic development in West Africa,” he stated.
The Defence Minister continued that: “In today’s volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world,” he stated, citing the rancour in “Israel versus Palestine, Israel and Iran, Russia and Ukraine, DRC and Rwanda” as well as “West Africa dealing with ECOWAS as it is now.”
Dr. Omane Boamah further advised that “we need to certainly adapt and adapt quickly.”
Meanwhile, the Keynote Speaker at the lecture, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, indicated that the current leadership should apply wisdom in dealing with the recent uprising within the subregion.
He explained that the ongoing challenges are not new, as they encountered similar issues decades ago when he was appointed to chair the bloc.
Chief Obasanjo advised the leadership to desist from allowing their personal egos to undermine what their predecessors built over the past decades to ensure a unified ECOWAS, where the countries that broke away to form the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) could be brought back.
“Had we, the leaders of the West African sub-region at the time, allowed our prejudices or our egos get the better of us, ECOWAS would have never been born or would have been dead on arrival.
“Even in those days, we were confronted with some of the challenges of today. Yet, as responsible leaders, we managed those challenges bearing in mind that shared prosperity, collective security and collective self-sufficiency were more beneficial than ego trips, muscle flexing, or grandstanding.
“We were able to reach compromises even on matters bothering on sovereignty of our countries and on our individual national interests,” he encouraged.
The Republic Day Lecture was chaired by Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, former United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel.
