Reimagining EU–West Africa Engagement in a Fragmented Regional Order: Civil Society Perspectives on EU Policy Responses to the ECOWAS–AES Breakaway

West Africa is changing fast. The Sahel States’ exit from ECOWAS signals deep cracks in West Africa’s regional order, and shows why new, fairer partnerships are needed.

What’s clear is that old donor–recipient logics and security-first approaches are no longer fit for purpose. If cooperation is to be meaningful, it must move beyond crisis management toward inclusive governance, economic justice, and people-centered development. Security without legitimacy is unsustainable; lasting peace requires democracy, participation, and dignity.

These ideas guided our recent Policy Conversation hosted by FES Nigeria, which brought together civil society voices to explore how EU–West Africa relations can be reimagined in a fragmenting regional landscape.

Through a scenario-building exercise, participants examined three possible futures for West Africa by 2030:

1. Secure & Resilient West Africa — ECOWAS evolves into an “ECOWAS of the People,” with citizens, youth, and civil society shaping peace and regional progress.
2. Fragmented Stability — Incremental reforms maintain a fragile equilibrium but fall short of delivering real transformation.
3. A Region Adrift — Democratic erosion and external interference deepen fragmentation, fueling coups, insecurity, and recurring crises.

Participants called for a fundamental rethinking of EU–West Africa relations and the frameworks that govern regional cooperation. The goal: a more inclusive, people-centered, and resilient West Africa in an era of global fragmentation. ECOWAS must renew itself through dialogue, inclusion, and accountability — not coercion or elite-driven politics.

Several insights stood out:

✅ Peace policy goes beyond security. The 2030 Agenda reminds us that peacebuilding is intertwined with economic, social, and environmental policy.

✅ Security and development are inseparable. Military approaches cannot deliver sustainable peace; progress requires good governance, economic justice, youth empowerment, and climate resilience.

✅ Migration and instability are symptoms of deeper structural issues. Inequality, exclusion, and weak institutions demand humane, development-oriented responses rather than securitized control.