Beninese President Patrice Talon has issued a sharp rebuke of ECOWAS’s current direction, warning that the regional bloc risks irrelevance if it continues to lag on infrastructure development and fails to strengthen intra-African trade.

Speaking in Cotonou ahead of the upcoming ECOWAS summit, Talon criticized the lack of tangible progress on long-promised road and trade projects, saying that repeated delays are eroding public confidence in the bloc’s ability to deliver on its vision of regional unity.

“We talk about integration, but the roads that would make that possible are either incomplete or deteriorating,” Talon said. “ECOWAS must shift from declarations to delivery.”

His comments come as frustration grows among citizens and business communities across West Africa over poor road networks, burdensome border procedures, and uneven trade policies. Talon cited the Lagos–Abidjan and Dakar–Abidjan highway corridors—both delayed—as examples of how bureaucracy and lack of funding have stifled the dream of seamless regional connectivity.

Rather than more speeches, Talon urged the bloc to adopt measurable goals and enforce accountability for missed infrastructure and trade targets. He also emphasized the need to harmonize customs protocols and maintain existing infrastructure, particularly border posts and cross-border bridges that have fallen into disrepair.

The president’s remarks add to a rising chorus of voices calling for ECOWAS to reinvent itself at a time when internal divisions, especially over political transitions in member states like Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, have cast doubt on the bloc’s unity.

“As we celebrate 50 years of ECOWAS, the most meaningful celebration will be progress that people can see and use—bridges that work, roads that connect, and borders that welcome trade,” Talon said.

By: TPA News Desk | editor@thepointafricanews.com