On May 27 and 28, 2025, YOUTH AWAKE had the honor of participating in the festivities marking the fiftieth anniversary of the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas – CedeaoS) and the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID).
On May 27, the YOUTH AWAKE team was welcomed to EBID headquarters in Lomé, at the invitation of the Bank’s President, for a series of discussions and presentations highlighting the institution’s role in financing regional economic development over the past five decades. On May 28, celebrations continued at the Cacavéli Blue Zone, the venue chosen to host the major official commemorative ceremony under the patronage of His Excellency Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, President of the Council of Togo.
The May 28 ceremony brought together senior political, diplomatic, and institutional figures, including:
* Prime Minister Victoire Dogbé,
* The Ecowas – Cedeao Resident Representative in Togo,
* Members of the diplomatic corps,
* Representatives of international institutions,
* And the Minister of Territorial Administration, Decentralization, and Traditional Chieftaincy, Hodabalo AWATE
In his speech, Minister Hodabalo AWATE made a strong call for peace, solidarity, and civic responsibility within the Ecowas – Cedeao region. A historic conference was organized to revisit the foundations of Ecowas – Cedeao, created in 1975 under the leadership of visionary leaders, including the late Togolese President Gnassingbé Eyadéma, whose leadership was instrumental in establishing this regional community.
The discussions highlighted ECOWAS’s major achievements in peace, the free movement of people and goods, economic cooperation, and regional stability, despite current challenges.
YOUTH AWAKE‘s participation in this dual commemoration demonstrates its deep commitment to regional integration, lasting peace, and the active participation of youth and women in development processes in West Africa.
Through its fieldwork, YOUTH AWAKE works to bring citizens closer to ECOWAS’s ideals to build a strong, inclusive, and united community.
#ECOWAS#eBid#YouthAwake#50yearsofwestafrica
