Chair of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Council of Ministers, Timothy Kabba has raised alarm over recent unconstitutional takeovers in the region, saying they often stem from failures in democratic governance”, he said.
Kabba stated this while closing the two-day 55th Session of the Mediation and Security Council at the ministerial level in Abuja on Wednesday.
“Our population, our people and our society become so disgruntled that sometimes it almost feels like there’s legitimacy in the challenges and opposition against democracy,” he said.
He therefore called for a renewed commitment to democracy, peace, and regional stability.
Addressing foreign ministers, commissioners, ambassadors and diplomats, Kabba said the region had spent two days in intensive deliberations on the issues that were affecting “our community, the political, democratic, and security situation of our region.”
The minister warned that West Africa was not insulated from the rising geopolitical tensions among global powers:
“Our region is not an exclusion from the vibrations that emanate from the contestation of the powers of the world in a rather multipolar world, ageing powers, vintage ones, and emerging ones are all beating their ways to the African continent”, he said.
Kabba pointed to Africa’s long history of bearing the pressures of global transformation, referencing the transatlantic slave trade and the exploitation that accompanied the advent of gunpowder.
He cautioned that the technological age, including artificial intelligence, poses new risks.
“In today’s technological age, Africa is still at the tail end of technology. Well, the threat of AI, we expect more pressure to be on the African continent and especially West Africa,” he said.
He cited climate change as an emerging source of insecurity, adding that the region now faces threats “even more trenchant and even more devastating” than longstanding challenges like poverty and disease. “Climate change and climate-induced farming crises,” he said, “are exacerbating instability across the subregion.”
Kabba raised alarm over recent unconstitutional takeovers in the region, saying they often stem from failures in democratic governance.
“Our population, our people and our society become so disgruntled that sometimes it almost feels like there’s legitimacy in the challenges and opposition against democracy,” he said.
He therefore urged member states to assess themselves and recommit to constitutional rule and the rule of law.
Referencing the December 7, 2025, attempt to “subvert constitutional order in the Benin Republic,” he said the incident renewed ECOWAS’ resolve to maintain zero tolerance for coups.
“The leaders have committed themselves to ensure that Guinea-Bissau returns to constitutional order, that we make every effort to prevent the recurrence of coup d’etat in our sovereignty,” he added.
Responding to critics who argue that ECOWAS focuses too heavily on security and political matters, Kabba insisted that stability is the foundation for development.
The minister said, “Without peace, security and stability, there will be no development, and this is the reason why ECOWAS places a premium on community peace, security and stability.”
He praised the commitment shown by ministers during the two-day meeting, calling for sustained collaboration and confidence-building. “Let’s continue to work together, let’s build trust, which is the bedrock of our partnership. Without trust, every effort, every resource we put into the workings of ECOWAS will not bear desirable fruit”, he said.
