ECOWAS Hosts Historic Ten-Day Exhibition at the United Nations to Mark Golden Jubilee By Raymond Enoch
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has etched a historic milestone in its 50-year journey with the successful hosting of a landmark ten-day exhibition at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, United States of America, bringing the international celebrations of its Golden Jubilee to a dignified and impactful close.
The exhibition, hosted by the ECOWAS Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations in collaboration with the ECOWAS Group at the UN, officially concluded on Friday, December 5, 2025, marking the first time ECOWAS has mounted a full-scale, multi-day exhibition within the United Nations system. The initiative underscored ECOWAS’ growing global visibility and its enduring relevance as a regional bloc committed to peace, governance, and sustainable development.
Held under the compelling theme “ECOWAS @50: Stronger Together for a Brighter Future – Celebrating 50 Years of Strength, Resilience and Progress,” the exhibition offered a powerful visual and narrative journey through five decades of regional integration in West Africa. It showcased ECOWAS’ evolution from a primarily economic community into a multidimensional institution addressing trade, free movement, peacekeeping, democratic governance, humanitarian response, youth empowerment, and regional infrastructure.
More than a commemorative display, the flagship exhibition served as a strategic storytelling platform—highlighting ECOWAS’ collective achievements, institutional resilience, and shared aspirations for a more integrated, peaceful, and prosperous West Africa. Through curated panels, multimedia installations, archival materials, and policy highlights, the exhibition emphasized the central message of unity: that West Africa’s strength lies in solidarity, cooperation, and collective action.
The exhibition formed the grand finale of a three-fold high-level ECOWAS engagement at the United Nations, which also featured strategic dialogues and policy discussions on Governance, Peace, and Development in West Africa. These high-level events brought together diplomats, UN officials, development partners, and regional stakeholders, reinforcing ECOWAS’ role as a key partner in advancing regional stability and development within the global multilateral system.
By anchoring its Golden Jubilee celebration at the United Nations, ECOWAS sent a clear message to the international community: that the West African integration project remains a living, evolving force—one that has endured complex political and security challenges while continuing to adapt, reform, and deliver regional public goods.
As ECOWAS looks beyond its first 50 years, the exhibition’s theme resonated strongly with participants and observers alike—“Stronger Together for a Brighter Future.” It captured not only the spirit of the jubilee but also the forward-looking vision of a region determined to deepen integration, strengthen institutions, and secure inclusive growth and lasting peace for its people.
The landmark exhibition stands as both a celebration of the past and a confident declaration of intent for the future—affirming ECOWAS’ place as a cornerstone of regional cooperation in Africa and a credible actor on the global stage.
