The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission and the African Development Bank (AfDB) have moved to strengthen their longstanding partnership to accelerate regional development and improve the living conditions of citizens across West Africa.
The move followed a meeting between the Vice-President of the ECOWAS Commission, Anthony Oluwatosin Ogunjimi, and the leadership of the AfDB at the bank’s headquarters in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, on October 12, 2026.
Ogunjimi led an ECOWAS delegation to the meeting, which was hosted by Abdul Kamara, Acting Vice-President of the AfDB for Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery.
The discussions focused on reviewing the existing partnership between the two institutions and identifying opportunities to deepen cooperation in advancing West Africa’s development priorities.
During the meeting, the ECOWAS Vice-President outlined the Commission’s management priorities for the next four years, anchored in the ECOWAS Vision 2050 framework.
He emphasised the need to translate regional development plans and commitments into tangible outcomes that directly improve the lives of citizens.
According to him, regional integration must deliver practical benefits that people can experience in their daily lives, rather than remain limited to policy declarations and institutional commitments.
“Our people must see the benefits of regional integration in their everyday lives,” Ogunjimi said.
He also expressed appreciation to the African Development Bank for its longstanding partnership with ECOWAS and its continued financial and technical support for regional development initiatives.
The engagement reaffirmed the commitment of both institutions to sustaining their collaboration and exploring new opportunities to advance shared development objectives across the West African region.
Through stronger cooperation, ECOWAS and the AfDB seek to promote regional integration and ensure that development initiatives produce meaningful and measurable benefits for the people of West Africa.
