ECOWAS — West African regional bloc pursuing minerals processing, rice self-sufficiency by 2035, and tackling non-tariff trade barriers, facing leadership transition and member departures in 2026.
… As Nigeria’s neighbours bolster their own border defences, the outcome of Abuja’s military and legal strategies remains a focal point for the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). …
… The Director of the ILO Country Office in Ghana and Liaison for ECOWAS, Dr Vanessa Phala, described the DWCP III as a critical strategic framework to guide coordinated support to Ghana’s labour sector. …
… UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the “acts of violence” as he expressed his “solidarity with the Malian people.” The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) stated on Sunday, despite the junta’s previous departure from the bloc. …
… Tax administrators and policymakers warned that without coordinated digitalisation and alignment of national VAT regimes under the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) framework, ambitions for a truly integrated regional market could remain elusive. …
… The process is being funded through the ECOWAS Peace, Security and Governance Project, co-funded by the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and implemented by GIZ, Expertise France, and FIAP in partnership with ECOWA …
… The resurgence of coups and persistent insecurity in parts of West Africa has continued to test ECOWAS’ influence, with member states divided over how to respond effectively. …
… The three Sahel states, all currently under military rule, have in recent years distanced themselves from ECOWAS and strengthened alternative security and diplomatic partnerships. …
… West Africa’s regional bloc, Ecowas, similarly condemned the attacks. Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso left Ecowas after military coups brought their armies to power. …
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has issued a strong condemnation following the terrorist attacks that took place on Saturday, April 25, 2026, across multiple localities in the Republic of Mali. …
Ghana is rallying ECOWAS countries behind a "mine together, process together" campaign to add value to West Africa's mineral wealth through industrialisation and increased continental trade. Ghana's Trade Minister called for factory construction, integrated standards, and transport infrastructure to enable jobs and value addition rather than exporting raw minerals.
Why it matters
ECOWAS's 'mine together, process together' campaign positions Ghana to lead regional industrialization and boost continental trade through value addition.
Ghana is rallying ECOWAS countries behind a "mine together, process together" campaign to add value to West Africa's mineral wealth through industrialisation and increased continental trade. Ghana's Trade Minister called for factory construction, integrated standards, and transport infrastructure to enable jobs and value addition rather than exporting raw minerals.
President Bola Tinubu declared that Nigeria's security forces killed more than 13,000 insurgents over the past year and that insurgency-related deaths have dropped 81 per cent since he took power in 2023. He also noted that 124,000 fighters and dependents have laid down their arms since 2023 through Operation Safe Corridor.
Ghana's Immigration Service has raised concerns that abuse of the ECOWAS Free Movement Protocol by community citizens is fuelling irregular migration, child trafficking, cyber fraud, and organised begging networks that threaten Ghana's security. The service warned during talks with the West African Monetary Institute that proceeds from organised begging could finance terrorism, and noted slow progress in implementing the ECOWAS biometric identification system across the sub-region.
Ghana's Trade Minister Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare told the ECOWAS Ministers of Trade and Industry meeting that non-tariff barriers are the most stubborn obstacle to regional trade, imposing an estimated 15 to 20 percent cost increase on cross-border commerce and affecting traders, businesses, and consumers throughout West Africa.
The ECOWAS Resident Representative in Ghana has urged policymakers and citizens to tackle plastic pollution and poor waste disposal practices, which are contributing to flooding, environmental degradation and public health risks across the sub-region. He called for investment in sustainable waste management systems, environmental education, recycling initiatives and stricter enforcement of sanitation laws during a beach clean-up exercise in Accra on Saturday as part of ECOWAS's 50th anniversary celebrations.
West African leaders and partners at an investment roundtable in Ghana called for increased regional investment in rice production to improve food security, reduce imports, and create jobs, with a target of achieving rice self-sufficiency by 2035. The roundtable identified investment opportunities across the rice value chain including irrigation, seed systems, machinery, milling, and storage.
An opinion piece argues that Ghana's restored macroeconomic stability—including Cedi appreciation, 3.3% inflation, 6% GDP growth, and 45.3% debt-to-GDP ratio in 2025—creates the foundation for a structured partnership between government and business to drive economic transformation.
An opinion piece argues that xenophobic attacks on African migrants in South Africa contradict the continent's historical solidarity and betray the values of Pan-Africanism, noting that South Africa's own liberation was achieved with support from other African nations including Ghana.
Recent xenophobic attacks and anti-immigrant protests in South Africa led the Government of Ghana to evacuate Ghanaian citizens, raising questions about African unity, regional integration, and whether continental institutions are adequately protecting migrants.
Ghana's Deputy Finance Minister called on investors and development partners to commit long-term capital to transform the rice sector into a major driver of economic growth and food security, saying the government is creating the right policy and macroeconomic environment to attract investment and reduce import dependence.
The World Bank Group's Vice President for Planet warned that West Africa's dependence on imported rice—currently 40 percent of regional consumption at $5 billion annually—poses food security and economic risks. He argued the region should leverage its arable land and farming population to grow more of its own staple food, and called for execution and financing of ECOWAS rice production initiatives.
Ghana's National Bureau of the ECOWAS Brown Card Insurance Scheme marked the 44th anniversary of its commencement with stakeholder celebrations in Accra. The scheme, established in 1982, facilitates compensation for motor accident victims caused by non-resident motorists across ECOWAS member states.
Vice President Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang opened a two-day ECOWAS Rice Investment Roundtable in Accra, calling on West Africa to view rice farming as a strategic economic asset focused on youth, incomes and economic resilience. She noted that the region spends more than $50 billion annually on food imports, with rice accounting for a significant portion, despite possessing fertile land, water resources and entrepreneurial farmers.
Young people from Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Senegal and other West African countries are being trafficked into the Russia–Ukraine war through deceptive recruitment networks exploiting economic desperation and weak regional coordination. Growing public pressure, media investigations, and diplomatic interventions are prompting governments to respond more openly and families to report suspicious recruitment attempts earlier.
ECOWAS aims to achieve regional rice self-sufficiency by 2035 and is urging governments, investors and development partners to accelerate financing. The region currently produces only 61 percent of the rice it consumes, with supply gaps widening despite a 44 percent increase in rice output between 2008 and 2024.
As ECOWAS prepares for a leadership change in July 2026, the regional bloc confronts its greatest test since 1975, with Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger having withdrawn and democratic governance across West Africa coming under pressure from military coups and constitutional upheaval.
As ECOWAS prepares for a leadership transition in July 2026, the Economic Community of West African States confronts its greatest test since 1975, with Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger having departed and democratic governance under pressure across the region.
President Mahama told the Ghana-UK Investment Summit that Ghana offers investors access to the ECOWAS market of over 425 million people and the African Continental Free Trade Area representing more than 1.4 billion consumers, citing the country's stable democracy, predictable governance, strong institutions, and ongoing reforms to improve investment protection.
Dr. Daniel Fahene Acquaye, CEO of Agri-Impact Limited and Chairman of the CSIR–Crop Research Institute, will lead a delegation to the Ghana-UK Investment Summit in London on 1–2 June 2026, where he will participate in a high-level panel on positioning Ghana as an agribusiness investment hub and meet with potential investors and development partners.
Ghana has officially launched a nationwide electronic visa platform as of 25 May 2026, replacing manual paper-based visa procedures and the traditional visa-on-arrival arrangement for African travellers. The system, managed by the Ghana Immigration Service and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, makes visa applications mandatory for African passport holders requiring a visa, while exempting African applicants from visa fees.
Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye dissolved his government late Friday, dismissing Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko in what marks a shift from populist ideological resistance toward fiscal pragmatism amid a sovereign debt crisis. The move ends a dual-executive arrangement between the two former Pastef allies who had campaigned on the slogan "Diomaye is Sonko, Sonko is Diomaye."
The Ghana Investment Promotion Centre has urged Ethiopian businesses to use Ghana as an entry point to West African markets, citing strategic location and industrial opportunities, and has outlined steps for establishing operations including business registration and engagement with GIPC.
The Head of Marketing and Communications at Ghana's Investment Promotion Centre called for stronger commercial engagement between Ghana and Ethiopia, noting that despite their strategic positions in Africa's economic integration, bilateral trade between the two countries remains far below its full potential under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
A three-member Swiss Armed Forces delegation held discussions with Ghana's Directorate of Internal Peace Support Operations at Burma Camp to deepen international cooperation in peacekeeping and military training. The meeting, led by Ghana's Brigadier General Fuseini Salifu, covered Ghana's experience in UN peacekeeping and ECOWAS regional deployments, and highlighted the professionalism of Ghanaian troops.
The National Identification Authority Executive Secretary says the Ghana Card is recognised as a valid travel document within ECOWAS and accepted at more than 44,000 airports globally. The NIA has registered over 19.4 million Ghanaians aged 15 and above and issued over 18.7 million Ghana Cards.
Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, Minority Leader in Parliament, has accused senior NDC government figures of abandoning governance to position themselves for the 2028 presidential succession race, claiming the competition is distracting ministers from addressing pressing national crises and worsening economic hardships. He cited concerns raised even by the President's Executive Secretary about the early succession campaign.
The 2026 Legacy Expo, a decade-milestone edition of Africa's largest beauty and wellness trade exhibition, will convene over 300 exhibitors and 1,000+ industry professionals from June 3–5, 2026 at UPSA Auditorium in Ghana. The event, formerly the Africa Makeup & Beauty Fair, will feature networking, panel discussions, product demonstrations, and startup pitch sessions.
Ghana's Trade Minister Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare is leading a high-level delegation to China to attract strategic investments into Ghana's industrial and agribusiness sectors as part of the government's industrial transformation programme. The delegation, which includes officials from multiple ministries and agencies, is participating in a China–Ghana Investment Forum and touring major industrial facilities in Hubei and Wuhan Provinces.
Legacy Expo 2026, the 10th edition of Africa's largest beauty and wellness trade exhibition, will take place June 3–5, 2026, at UPSA Auditorium and is expected to host over 300 exhibitors and attract 1,000+ industry professionals from across Africa and beyond.
A government official recounts his first year working under President John Mahama, highlighting the President's grasp of public sector processes and the swift implementation of solutions, and noting that Mahama's Accra Reset Agenda has gained attention in the global health community.