ECOFEST 2025 TAKES SHAPE, As Regional Team Meet, Define Orientation for Festival.

By Raymond Enoch.

The vibrant pulse of West Africa’s cultural heartbeat is set to echo across the region as preparations for ECOFEST Dakar 2025 accelerate, following a landmark strategic meeting between the ECOWAS Commission, UEMOA, and the Government of Senegal.

As a result, the Museum of Black and Cultural on the 2nd to 4th July 2025 hosted top-level officials, cultural experts, and regional partners to chart the course for the first-ever West African Festival of Arts and Culture (ECOFEST), scheduled for 30 November to 7 December 2025.

Chaired by Mr. El Hadj Tanor GNING, the sessions brought together regional heavyweights including Dr. Emile Zida of ECOWAS, Mr. Donikpo Koné of UEMOA, and Mr. Mouhamed Abdallah Ly of the Museum. The gathering defined critical aspects of the festival: venue selection, committee structuring, and artistic direction.

The Dakar Arena and the Grand Théâtre Doudou Ndiaye Coumba Rose will host the opening and closing ceremonies, with a diverse programme spanning music, art, film, craft, youth dialogues, and innovation showcases. An artistic director is to be appointed within ten days.

Set under the theme: “Political changes and crises in West Africa: what can culture do?”, ECOFEST 2025 aims to harness the transformative power of culture in a region facing complex transitions.

Senegalese authorities reaffirmed their full commitment, with Minister of Youth, Sport and Culture and ECOWAS Commissioner Prof. Fatou Sow Sarr validating the festival’s roadmap, calling it a powerful platform for peace, cohesion, and regional solidarity.

ECOFEST Dakar 2025 is poised to become a cultural milestone for West Africa — where heritage, creativity, and unity converge.