ECOWAS National Office Heads Meet in Dakar to Ensure Close Cooperation Best Practices and Project Activities. By Raymond Enoch
National Office heads and senior officials of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have converged in Dakar, Senegal, for the 2025 Annual Meeting of ECOWAS National Office Heads, a strategic forum aimed at strengthening regional integration amid evolving political, economic and institutional realities in West Africa.
The four-day meeting, holding from 16 to 19 December 2025, is themed “Changes, Challenges and Opportunities in the New ECOWAS: Strengthening Collaboration among ECOWAS National Offices to Advance Regional Integration Programmes.” The theme reflects the bloc’s renewed focus on internal reforms, coordination and responsiveness as it adapts to emerging regional dynamics.
Organised by the ECOWAS External Relations Directorate, the meeting brings together heads of ECOWAS national offices from member states to assess their collective role as the frontline institutions of the Community. Participants are expected to examine how closer cooperation at national levels can translate ECOWAS policies, programmes and reforms into tangible benefits for citizens across the sub-region.
Discussions at the forum centre on practical ways to enhance synergy among national offices, particularly in the areas of communication, stakeholder engagement and programme implementation. Officials are also exchanging best practices on resource mobilisation, institutional visibility and overcoming operational challenges that affect the effective delivery of ECOWAS initiatives at country level.
Beyond coordination, the meeting is providing a platform to reflect on the changing context of regional integration, including shifting political landscapes, economic pressures and the need for stronger ownership of ECOWAS programmes by member states. Participants note that national offices play a critical role in bridging the gap between the ECOWAS Commission and national authorities, civil society and development partners.
As ECOWAS continues to reposition itself under ongoing reforms, outcomes from the Dakar meeting are expected to reinforce the capacity of national offices to serve as effective conduits for the Community’s vision, policies and projects. Officials say strengthening collaboration at this level is essential to sustaining momentum towards deeper integration, stability and shared prosperity in West Africa.
