The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) today held an Extraordinary Session of its Council of Ministers, chaired by H.E. Alhaji Musa Timothy Kabba, Sierra Leone’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. The session focused on key regional matters, including the allocation of statutory positions among member states and the recruitment and status of staff from AES countries (at Grade P4 and below).
In his opening remarks, H.E. Kabba reaffirmed ECOWAS’s commitment to transparency, fairness, and regional solidarity. He conveyed appreciation on behalf of H.E. President Julius Maada Bio, Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, for the continued cooperation among member states. He also extended gratitude to the Government of Nigeria for its warm hospitality in hosting the session.
The meeting addressed urgent regional concerns, notably the growing terrorist threats posed by JNIM, ISGS, and ISWAP, and the resulting humanitarian crises exacerbated by displacement and climate shocks. H.E. Kabba underscored President Bio’s recent diplomatic missions across West Africa, including to AES member states such as Burkina Faso and Niger, aimed at promoting dialogue and restoring constitutional order in the region.
The Council also reviewed proposals submitted by the Ad-hoc Ministerial Committee on Statutory Positions. Closed-door deliberations are expected to result in actionable outcomes that will contribute to the region’s stability, institutional effectiveness, and collective progress.
