Former Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister and seasoned peace-building expert, Emmanuel Bombande, has called on the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to engage in deep introspection as it seeks to respond to recent regional crises and redefine its role amidst growing instability.

Speaking on JoyNews' NewsDesk on Tuesday, April 22, Mr Bombande stressed that genuine transformation must begin from within.

Drawing on his extensive experience in diplomacy and conflict resolution, he urged ECOWAS to critically examine its past decisions and shortcomings, particularly in light of recent setbacks such as military takeovers and political turmoil in member states.

“In my years of practice, I’ve learnt that you're much more effective in dealing with difficult issues when you begin with yourself, when you introspect and ask the very critical questions about where you went wrong,” he said.

Mr Bombande emphasised that ECOWAS must confront the reality of its own failures and ask why it appeared unprepared for crises that, in hindsight, were foreseeable.

“How did this setback hit us so badly, almost as though we didn’t see it coming? I believe we did see it coming,” he remarked.

The Former Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister added, “One of the ways of introspection is asking whether there is a political path to making ECOWAS stronger.”

He further addressed a core challenge undermining regional unity: poor governance.

According to Bombande, many of the issues facing ECOWAS today stem from an entrenched culture of leadership that resists change and accountability.

“Let’s be frank and honest — some of our leaders want to be in power forever. Because of that, many people in West Africa can no longer tell the difference between a constitutionally-led coup, where a sitting president manipulates the constitution to stay in power, and a military-led coup, where an officer simply takes up arms and overthrows an elected government,” he said.

For ECOWAS to be effective in responding to the withdrawal or suspension of member states, Mr Bombande argued, the focus must go beyond economic negotiations or trade deals.

“If we want to be effective in how we’re dealing with states that have left us, it’s not about tariffs or trade. Those are minor details. The real work is about political will,” he asserted.