The 60th Ordinary Session of Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS was held on Sunday at the State House in Abuja.
The meeting had in attendance the President of Ghana and Chair of ECOWAS Authority of Heads of state and Governments, Nana Akufo-Addo; the former President of Nigeria, Dr Goodluck Jonathan; Special Representatives of the United Nations; President of Togo, Faure Gnassingbe and the President of Niger Republic, Mohamed Bazoum.
Others are the Presidents of The Gambia, Adama Barrow; Cote D’ Ivoire, Alassane Ouattara; Senegal, Macky Sall; Guinea Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embaló; Sierra Leone, Julius Bio as well as the President of Cape Verde, Jose Maria Neves.
Speaking at the meeting, President Buhari said the region was tormented by numerous challenges, especially the situation in Mali and Guinea where the military seized power.
He lamented that West Africa continues have continued to suffer from various major challenges, including political, security, environmental and socio-economic concerns linked to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Nigerian leader called on the West African leaders to continue to work together in a pragmatic way in order to confront the numerous challenges facing the sub-region, especially the threat to democracy.
According to him, the gathering of West African leaders in Abuja is a clear demonstration of their commitment to the effective integration of the sub-region.
Local media reports on Sunday said that President Buhari had on Saturday night hosted the West African leaders to a pre-Conference dinner at the State House ahead of the event, which is expected to deliberate on issues of trade, regional integration as well as peace and security in the ECOWAS region.
GIK/APA