Eight Heads of State are participating in the meeting, while the others are being represented.

Those attending personally are the Presidents of Nigeria, Mali, Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Niger, Togo and Burkina Faso.

Mali and Nigeria have dominated international discussions following the security situations in those countries.

Mali

The security situation in Mali has remained fragile since March 2012 when the army launched a coup against the Malian President, Amadou Toumani Toure.

In the heat of the troubles within the country, Tuareg rebels and Islamists captured the northern  part of the country.

Their advance southward was halted by the French Army in early 2013. 

Although there is relative peace in the northern part of the country, the situation is still not completely resolved.

The ECOWAS leaders will, therefore, discuss and initiate strategies to return absolute normalcy to that country.

Nigeria

With the Nigeria situation, Boko Haram remains the major security threat. 

Currently, the over 200 schoolgirls the terrorist group abducted more than a month ago are still being held, with no sign of their release in the immediate future.

Former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo, is reported to have started moves to talk to the terrorists about the release of the girls.

In Accra today, ECOWAS leaders will advance strategies on how to deal with the situation.

Closing ceremony

There would be a closing ceremony later in the day after the closed door session.