The Economic Community of West African States has stepped up efforts to deepen cross-border cooperation among member states as part of initiatives aimed at enhancing regional trade, strengthening security collaboration, and advancing economic integration across West Africa.

The Director-General of the National Boundary Commission, Adamu Adaji, represented by the Head of Cross Border Cooperation, Dr. Farouk Tarfa, took part in the Annual Regional Stakeholders Meeting on ECOWAS Cross Border Cooperation held in Abuja on Thursday.

The meeting, hosted by the ECOWAS Commission, brought together representatives from member states including Nigeria, Benin, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo to discuss ways of strengthening cross-border collaboration and advancing regional integration across the sub-region.

Speaking during the plenary session, Tarfa said Nigeria was the first country in the sub-region to establish the ECOWAS Cross-Border Cooperation Programme.

He explained that Nigeria adopted the initiative due to its strategic role in addressing border challenges, tackling terrorism and other transboundary crimes, as well as fostering social cohesion among border communities.

According to him, the programme is designed to leverage the existing shared socio-cultural identities within border communities as building blocks for the ECOWAS integration agenda, with the goal of shifting from a “Community of States” to a “Community of People.”

Tarfa added that the initiative also promotes joint development and use of transboundary resources, resource pooling for the delivery of strategic goods and services, integrated health approaches for the control of cross-border diseases, and improved information sharing among member states on areas of mutual interest.

“This programme also provides opportunities for joint security operations capable of guaranteeing peace, security and stability within border areas, thereby facilitating growth and development across the region,” he added.

The meeting also reviewed the implementation of the ECOWAS Cross-Border Cooperation Programmes across member states and reached agreement on new joint initiatives aimed at strengthening regional peace, security, and integration.

The Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS adopted the Cross-Border Cooperation concept in January 2006 as part of broader sub-regional integration mechanisms, a decision that later led to the establishment of the ECOWAS Cross-Border Cooperation Programme by ministers responsible for border affairs.