By: ALEX ADI
The second meeting of Directors-General of national television stations from ECOWAS member states opened on March 3, 2026, in Cotonou, Benin. Organized by the ECOWAS Commission’s Directorate of Communication with the support of the German government, the two-day meeting brought together the heads of national television stations and the Heads of the ECOWAS National Bureaus from the 12 member states.
The meeting aims to strengthen the commitment and contribution of public media in the fight against disinformation concerning ECOWAS, while improving the visibility of the Community’s programs, activities, and achievements.
The President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, represented by his Senior Special Advisor, Mr. Abdoulie Gassama, emphasized the essential role of national broadcasters as key intermediaries for communicating ECOWAS initiatives to citizens of all member states.
The Chairman of the ECOWAS Administrative and Financial Committee (AFC), Mr. Komba MOMOH, represented by the Deputy Director of the ECOWAS Country Office in Sierra Leone, Ms. Laygbay Lilian AMADU, emphasized the need to move from dialogue to action through concrete commitments, practical recommendations and strengthened partnerships that will promote regular programming and sustained media coverage of ECOWAS activities.
This is a follow up meeting from the first one held in September 2024 in Abuja, Nigeria. At the end of the first high-level meeting, participants resolved to establish a regional network through the creation of permanent ECOWAS desks in the various newsrooms for proper dissemination of ECOWAS news reports. The Directors-General were to consider setting up a West African Broadcasting Union (WABU), for the purpose of one voice to strengthen communication with ECOWAS, capacity building for ECOWAS journalists among many other recommendations.
