The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission and the African Development Bank (AfDB) have commenced a high-level consultation to review and extend the Regional Integration Strategy Paper for West Africa (2020–2027) to strengthen regional cooperation and development across the sub-region.
The three-day meeting, from 4 to 6 February 2026 at the ECOWAS Commission Headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria, brings together senior management from ECOWAS and the AfDB to discuss the strategic orientation of the West Africa Regional Integration Strategy Paper.
In his opening remarks, the AfDB’s Director General for West Africa, Mr Lamin Barrow, underscored the importance of extending the current Regional Integration Strategy Paper, which reaches its term in December 2025.
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He noted, “The extension of this critical regional programming instrument is necessary to sustain and underpin new operations within the framework of the Bank’s partnership with ECOWAS.”
The President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Alieu Touray, commended the African Development Bank for its multifaceted support to ECOWAS in various areas such as agriculture, infrastructure, trade, customs, capacity development, health, education, industry, and energy.