Accra, Ghana — As the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) celebrates its golden jubilee in this year, the Parliamentary Network Africa (PNAfrica) has launched a short-term regional initiative dubbed the BRIDGE Project to help amplify the role of parliaments in advancing peace, stability, and regional integration in West Africa.
The initiative comes at a time when the 15-member regional bloc is grappling with increasing threats to its unity, including political instability, military coups, and the exit or intended withdrawal of some member states such as Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. PNAfrica notes that almost five decades of regional integration and cooperation are at risk of reversal.
With the support of the West Africa Democracy Solidarity Network (WADEMOS), the BRIDGE Project—short for Building Regional Integration and Democratic Governance Engagement—seeks to leverage the power of parliamentary dialogue and diplomacy to counter these trends. The initiative involves national and regional legislators, as well as civil society parliamentary monitoring organizations (PMOs), across up to 11 West African countries.
“The ECOWAS Parliament and its national counterparts have a unique opportunity to reclaim their central role in steering the region towards stability and democratic resilience. The BRIDGE Project is our contribution to that mission,” said Sammy Obeng, Executive Director of PNAfrica.
Key Activities Under the BRIDGE Project
Between March and May 2025, the BRIDGE Project will undertake the following key activities:
- Desk Assessment: Mapping and assessing existing parliamentary dialogue tools in the region, and identifying key MPs—especially those on Foreign Affairs Committees and in the ECOWAS Parliament—who can champion the initiative.
- Technical Support Desk: Establishment of a dedicated support unit within PNAfrica to coordinate lobbying, draft parliamentary statements, and offer technical assistance to participating MPs and partners.
- Regional Webinar: A trilingual (English, French, Portuguese) virtual discussion bringing together MPs from ECOWAS member states to reflect on the future of regional integration beyond the golden jubilee.
- Citizen Perception Survey & Working Paper: Insights from a commissioned citizen survey on the ECOWAS Parliament will feed into a working paper to guide future advocacy and engagement.
- Multimedia & Digital Campaign: Short videos, parliamentary speeches, and articles will be developed and shared via platforms such as Twitter (X), Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube to broaden public discourse on ECOWAS’ future and parliamentary diplomacy.
A Timely Call to Action
PNAfrica believes that with deliberate and sustained efforts, the region’s legislative bodies can reignite the spirit of regional cooperation and offer a renewed vision of democratic governance, economic integration, and collective security.
As ECOWAS marks 50 years of existence, the BRIDGE Project aims to serve as a timely catalyst for reflection, collaboration, and re-engagement among stakeholders across the sub-region.
“We are hopeful that this short-term effort will lay the groundwork for a more ambitious and long-term engagement strategy for ECOWAS and its parliamentary institutions,” added Mr. Obeng.
By: Parliamentary Network Africa (PNAfrica) Communications Desk
