ECOWAS Sets Course for United Tourism Market with Regional Capacity-Building Drive
Princess-Ekwi Ajide
Across West Africa, tourism is more than just leisure; it is a powerful catalyst for regional economic integration and job creation.
Despite this, fragmented policies and inconsistent standards have long slowed the sector’s full potential but ECOWAS has woken from its slumber and is now taking deliberate steps to change that narrative.
For this, in a move to boost economic integration and regional cooperation, ECOWAS has launched a comprehensive tourism capacity-building programme in Banjul, The Gambia.
The initiative, which kicked off on March 17, 2025, seeks to harmonise tourism standards and foster investment across its 12 Member States.
Representing the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Touray, at the opening ceremony, ECOWAS Director of Private Sector, Dr. Tony Elumelu, emphasised that tourism is critical to the region’s economic agenda. “This programme will not just share knowledge, but drive policies that attract investment, create jobs, and position tourism as a pillar of sustainable growth,” he said.
Backed by the ECOTOR 1929 policy, the programme champions standardisation so as to ensure that a five-star hotel in Togo offers the same quality as one in Nigeria or The Gambia.
The training sessions will also focus on empowering youth and women, reinforcing ECOWAS’ commitment to inclusive development.
Participants will engage in practical workshops on regulatory frameworks, hotel classification, and best practices, concluding with a strategy session to define actionable steps towards strengthening the sector.
By aligning tourism policies and building capacities, ECOWAS aims to unlock new opportunities for the region, steering it closer to the goals of its Vision 2050—an “ECOWAS of the People” where peace and prosperity are shared across borders.
