By Fatima Kpaka
Abuja, Nigeria — December 14, 2025: The Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government and President of Sierra Leone, His Excellency Dr. Julius Maada Bio, has officially opened the 68th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority in Abuja, unveiling a landmark reform to reduce the cost of air travel across West Africa.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, President Bio described the summit as a defining moment for the future of more than 400 million West Africans, reflecting on ECOWAS’ 50-year journey and calling for renewed unity, courage, and clarity of purpose. He expressed gratitude to Nigeria for hosting the golden jubilee session and acknowledged the support of regional and international partners in advancing peace and stability.
Security and Democracy
President Bio warned that terrorism, violent extremism, organised crime, and communal conflicts remain grave threats to regional stability, particularly in the Sahel. He urged stronger collective action, including intelligence sharing, coordinated border operations, and the operationalisation of the ECOWAS Standby Force for counterterrorism.
On governance, he reaffirmed ECOWAS’ zero-tolerance stance on Unconstitutional Changes of Government, condemning recent threats to constitutional order and commending swift regional action to defend democracy.
Highlighting economic priorities, President Bio underscored that deeper trade liberalisation, harmonised policies, improved infrastructure, and progress toward a single market and common currency remain central to ECOWAS’ vision, in alignment with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Landmark Air Travel Reform
In a major announcement, President Bio revealed that beginning January 1, 2026, ECOWAS Member States will abolish air transport taxes and reduce passenger and security charges by 25 percent. This measure is expected to enhance mobility, stimulate trade and tourism, and foster stronger people-to-people connections across the region.
“High air travel costs have for too long constrained business, discouraged movement, and separated families,” President Bio said. “This reform is a practical, people-centred demonstration of ECOWAS’ commitment to making regional integration a lived reality.”
Humanitarian and Climate Resilience
The ECOWAS Chairman also emphasized the need for stronger humanitarian coordination and climate resilience, stressing that women and youth must remain central to responses to displacement, food insecurity, and climate-related shocks. He called for strengthened institutions, financial sustainability, and effective implementation of regional decisions.
Concluding his address, President Bio urged leaders to act with unity and courage as ECOWAS charts its course for the next fifty years, emphasizing that the Community’s greatest strength lies in its collective resolve to build a peaceful, secure, and prosperous West Africa.