ECOWAS parliament receives report on community work programme
Sierra Leone Telegraph: 11 May 2026: The President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Alieu TOURAY, has presented the Status of implementation of the ECOWAS Community Work Programme to the 2026 First Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament in Abuja, Nigeria. Delivering what will be his final presentation to Parliament [Read More]
Black News 
Sierra Leone Telegraph: 11 May 2026:
The President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Alieu TOURAY, has presented the Status of implementation of the ECOWAS Community Work Programme to the 2026 First Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament in Abuja, Nigeria.
Delivering what will be his final presentation to Parliament before the end of his tenure in August 2026, Dr. Touray highlighted the resilience of ECOWAS economies despite global economic challenges, noting that regional growth rose from 4.3 per cent in 2024 to 4.8 per cent in 2025, with projections of 5.0 per cent growth in 2026.
He also underscored improvements in inflation, fiscal management, public debt, and intra-regional trade, while calling on Member States to sustain reforms and deepen regional integration.
Dr. TOURAY further outlined key achievements recorded by the Commission in peace, security, governance, humanitarian response, youth empowerment, digital transformation, and infrastructure development.
He noted that ECOWAS intensified mediation and preventive diplomacy efforts, advanced preparations for the ECOWAS Regional Counterterrorism Force, strengthened maritime and border security, and maintained engagement with Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger under the Alliance of Sahel States framework.
He added that over 5.3 million vulnerable persons benefitted from humanitarian interventions, while opportunities for youth and women were expanded through entrepreneurship and academic mobility programmes. Strategic regional projects also recorded progress.
In the area of communication, Dr. TOURAY disclosed that more than 500 journalists across the region were trained on combating misinformation and disinformation and their impact on peace and stability.
He also announced the modernization of the ECOWAS Information and Communication Policy to address emerging issues such as social media and artificial intelligence, as well as support for The Gambia in establishing the region’s first National Response Centre to Combat Misinformation.
He reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to building a peaceful, prosperous, and integrated West Africa through stronger regional cooperation, accountability, and citizen-focused communication.
