ECOWAS Envoy Meets Senegal’s Assembly President, Stressed a Renewed Vision for Peace, Health & Regional Integration.
By Raymond Enoch.
In a momentous diplomatic engagement signaling renewed vigor for regional cooperation, the ECOWAS Resident Representative in Senegal, H.E. Mrs. Zelma Fassinou Nobre, paid a high-level courtesy visit to H.E. El Malick Ndiaye, President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Senegal.
The historic meeting, at the National Assembly in Dakar, was marked by profound dialogue aimed at deepening West African integration, peace, and sustainable development.
The visit underscores ECOWAS’s unyielding commitment to fostering harmony, health, and democratic resilience across its 15 member states. In what many observers have hailed as a strategic diplomatic gesture, the discussions spanned critical issues including conflict resolution, institutional strengthening, healthcare delivery, and ECOWAS Vision 2050.
In her address, H.E. Fassinou Nobre reaffirmed ECOWAS’s resolve to position the Parliament as a “bridge between peoples for genuine development in a peaceful environment.” She emphasized that the Organization must place improvement in the quality of life of citizens at the core of its priorities, stressing that Vision 2050 is a collective call to action.
“The Parliament must be empowered to be more proactive in addressing peace, security, and stability issues in the sub-region. That’s the foundation for any sustainable economic development,” she declared.
Fassinou Nobre also detailed ongoing engagements with Senegalese Members of the ECOWAS Parliament, highlighting on-the-ground efforts to bring regional governance closer to the people. These engagements, she noted, are part of a broader ECOWAS mandate to ensure that West Africans feel ownership of integration processes that shape their daily lives.
On his part, President El Malick Ndiaye welcomed the ECOWAS Representative and applauded the Organization’s multifaceted efforts in regional peace-building and democratic governance. He emphasized the essential need to provide ECOWAS with the necessary resources to remain dynamic and responsive in the face of growing regional challenges.
“The role of ECOWAS in conflict resolution and democracy-building cannot be overstated. It is imperative to equip the institution adequately so that it can deliver on its vision for a peaceful and integrated West Africa,” Ndiaye stated.
He further reiterated Senegal’s unwavering support for ECOWAS institutions, particularly in relation to the West African Health Organisation (WAHO), which plays a key role in managing health policies and responses across member states. As part of the engagement, members of the WAHO Financial Support Steering Committee—which includes Senegalese parliamentarians—were also recognized for their pivotal work in ensuring health systems resilience in the sub-region.
Both leaders jointly reaffirmed the urgent need to transform the ECOWAS region into a beacon of peace, stability, and prosperity, echoing the aspirations embedded in Vision 2050. They agreed that unity, effective representation, and citizen-centered policies are vital ingredients for achieving sustainable development in West Africa.
The visit is viewed as a significant step in the ongoing operationalization of ECOWAS representation in member states, and a strong signal that Senegal remains central to the regional bloc’s evolving architecture of diplomacy, health governance, and democratic consolidation.
As the echoes of this high-level encounter reverberate across the corridors of West African politics, one thing remains clear: the journey towards a stronger, people-centered ECOWAS has gained renewed momentum—right from the heart of Dakar.
