ECOWAS: Consolidating Economic Growth At 5% Amid Crippling Challenges

The West African sub region is optimistic that its economic growth rate projected to reach five per cent in 2026 demonstrates remarkable resilience amid other expected positive outcomes irrespective of the myriad of challenges the region faces including insecurity.

The President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, disclosed this on Thursday during a meeting with Development Partners, while presenting the region’s annual report at the headquarters of the ECOWAS Commission in Abuja.

The Annual Report indicated that the region did not do badly in the previous year as it recorded 4.6 per cent growth, outperforming the record of the entire African continent. The report also indicated that global economic growth has slowed down in 2025, and although inflation eased relatively, uncertainty remains high.

Amid of these global headwinds, the report said Africa continues to demonstrate remarkable resilience as growth is recovering, inflation is declining, and political stability has improved in a number of regions.

Touray said “this resilience is also evident within our own community, our own West African community. In 2025, the region outperformed the continental average. Growth was 4.6 per cent and is expected to get to 5 per cent in 2026, and this is for ECOWAS.”

The growth recorded is attributed to the various reforms undertaken by the member states and this robust performance is driven by structural reforms, rising investment in mining and energy, improvement in regional trade facilitation, and a strong rebound in services, transport, and tourism.

Although inflation remains elevated, the region noticed some fall, and in some cases very sharp fall, and that fall has been helped by coordinated monetary policies and better food supply conditions across member states. Fiscal deficits have narrowed significantly as governments strengthen revenue mobilisation and rationalise public expenditure.

“Our debt to GDP ratio has also declined modestly, reflecting strong nominal growth and improved macroeconomic management. Our external position remains sound. The regional current account surplus has strengthened, bolstered by high export earnings from oil, gold, bauxite, as well as improved primary income balances,” Touray said.

The commission placed high attention on insecurity in the year under review as the regional bloc intensified preventive diplomacy, mediation and democratic support across the region and it has registered progress in combating organised crime and terrorism adding that while attacks declined slightly, fatalities increased due to the rising use of improvised explosive devices.

To strengthen arms control, the Commission donated weapons marking machines to four Member States, and this seeks to improve accountability and tracing, while an assessment mission during the year to the Gambia and Guinea Bissau underscored the need for enhanced training, strengthened monitoring and evaluation, as well as a clear exit strategy for ECOWAS missions in both the Gambia and Guinea Bissau.

On integration of the region, Touray disclosed that the second phase of the free movement and migration project was launched during the year and the ECOVISA online portal was also validated.

He added: “Seven of our Member States are now implementing the ECOWAS National Biometric Identity Card. The seventh one and the most recent one is the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

According to the Report, cross-border cooperation also intensified during the year, benefiting border communities, especially women. Informal cross-border trade data collection has also improved, with Ghana publishing its first national report in 2025.

In the meantime the Report indicated that no fewer than 1,300 small-scale cross-border traders and 50 women-led SMEs benefited from capacity building, while digital skills training expanded opportunities for rural women.

Despite all these achievements, there are enormous challenges including the unending insecurity posed by the terrorism and violent extremism that have ravaged countries such as Nigeria, Mali and Burkina Faso fueled by illicit arms trafficking and these must be tackled if the region must attain its desired goals.

Food insecurity is also threatening the region such that the United Nations World Food Programme(WFP) has warned that about 35 million Nigerians will face acute food shortage and 55 million overall will face severe food crisis in the region and Central Africa in 2026 if drastic measures are not taken to address this looming danger.

The main drivers of this food shortage include surging violence, particularly in Nigeria and the Sahel that disrupts agricultural production and supply routes.

Reduced humanitarian aid is exacerbating the crisis, with the WFP forced to cut assistance, while high inflation and surging prices for food, fertilizers, and fuel have limited household purchasing power.