ECOWAS warns of global power contestations, AI threat

Web image: ECOWAS

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The Sierra Leone Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chair of the Economic Community of West African States Council of Ministers, Timothy Kabba, has called for a renewed commitment to democracy, peace, and regional stability.

Kabba made this call while closing the two-day 55th Session of the Mediation and Security Council at the ministerial level in Abuja on Wednesday, offering a wide-ranging reflection on the growing threats facing West Africa.

Addressing foreign ministers, commissioners, ambassadors and diplomats, Kabba said the region had spent two days in “intensive deliberations on the issues that are affecting our community, the political, democratic, and security situation of our region.”

The minister warned that West Africa is 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,” he said, noting that “ageing powers, vintage ones, and emerging ones are all beating their ways to the African continent.”

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 added.

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.”

Despite concerns that multilateral institutions worldwide are “falling apart,” Kabba stressed that ECOWAS remains a vital expression of shared culture, identity and history.

“This is the reason why ECOWAS must triumph because it’s a values and culture-based community,” he told delegates.

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 urged member states to “assess ourselves as a community” 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.”

Kabba also highlighted regional integration as a point of pride, noting the ease of movement across borders. At the opening ceremony on Tuesday, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Touray, stated in his address that it is safe to declare a state of emergency throughout the region.

West Africa is facing escalating political instability and security challenges, with several ECOWAS member states experiencing coups, attempted coups, and fragile political transitions.

Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso remain under military-led administrations, while Guinea-Bissau recently joined this group following a military intervention. On Sunday, an attempted coup in the Benin Republic was foiled, further highlighting the fragility of democratic governance across the region.

The PUNCH journalist, Gift, has over three years of experience covering elections, security and foreign affairs.

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