Former Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, wants ECOWAS to undergo urgent reforms.
He spoke on Friday, the 31st of October, 2025, during the second edition of the African Political Square and the Experts’ Meeting on Alternative Futures for ECOWAS at 50 an event organised by the African Leadership Centre, ALC, in partnership with CODESRIA and WATHI, in Abuja.
Fayemi argued that poverty, inequality, governance deficits, and insecurity remain widespread in West Africa, and the regional bloc, in its present structure, lacks the capacity to properly address them.
He explained that ECOWAS needs to evolve from what he described as an elite-driven body into one that genuinely represents the interests of its citizens.
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“The challenges of poverty, inequality, governance deficits, and insecurity cannot be effectively addressed by ECOWAS in its current form,” he said.
Fayemi also pushed for a new, people-focused model that speaks to the needs and realities of ordinary West Africans rather than just the preferences of political leaders.