The organization also faces growing security threats as jihadist groups capitalize on strained relations between member states and expand their influence in the Sahel and Lake Chad regions. Countries such as Benin and Nigeria have seen a surge in violence in recent months.
In 2024, the Sahel was ranked as the global epicenter of terrorism for the second year in a row, accounting for more than half of all terrorism-related deaths worldwide, according to a Global Terrorism Index report released in March.
The region has been rocked by coups and attempted coups, fueled by widespread public discontent and a lack of trust in political leaders. In recent time, nearly half of the original ECOWAS countries have experienced such turmoil in the past decade. This has put democracy at risk and damaged ties between neighboring nations.
The departure of these three nations has significantly undermined ECOWAS’ credibility and influence in the region, experts say.
ECOWAS faces issues like security threats and trade implications
Kwesi Aning, an expert in international cooperation at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Center in Accra described the exit as a significant setback to the organization’s potential to realize its founding aspirations. He added that it signals a worrying level of governance among ECOWAS leaders.
Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who currently holds the rotating presidency of ECOWAS, along with General Yakubu Gowon, 89, a co-founder of ECOWAS and former Nigerian military leader, will address the event in Lagos.
As the largest economy and most populous country in the region, Nigeria was expected to serve as a stabilizing force for ECOWAS; however, the country faces significant challenges, according to a recently released SBM Intelligence report.
The report reveals that Nigeria’s internal problems (economic oppression, political instability, Boko Haram insurgency, and governance failures), have severely compromised its leadership capacity.
In short, ECOWAS is at a crucial crossroads, torn between its fundamental goals of economic unity and peace and the harsh realities of regional insecurity, democratic erosion and internal division, according to SBM Intelligence.
