Leading monetary institutions of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) gathered virtually on August 4, 2025, to launch the 2025 Mid-Year Joint Statutory Meetings aimed at reinforcing monetary cooperation and financial integration within the West African region.
The series of meetings, running through August 18, brings together key players including the West African Monetary Agency (WAMA), the West African Monetary Institute (WAMI), and the West African Institute for Financial and Economic Management (WAIFEM).
The Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) highlighted these high-level deliberations as fundamental to ECOWAS’s regional economic governance framework. Participants include central bank governors, senior officials from finance ministries, technical experts, and development partners. Their collective mission is to deepen macroeconomic policy coordination and to facilitate the smooth path towards regional financial unity.
The agenda encompasses a series of crucial sessions:
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The First Ordinary Joint Meeting of WAMA’s Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee alongside the ECOWAS Commission’s Macroeconomic Policy Technical Committee (August 4–6)
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The 52nd WAIFEM Technical Committee Meeting (August 7–8)
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The 57th WAMI Technical Committee Meeting (August 11–12)
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The 66th Ordinary Meeting of the ECOWAS Committee of Governors (August 14)
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The 54th Meeting of the West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ) Convergence Council (August 15)
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The 12th Ordinary Meeting of the ECOWAS Convergence Council of Ministers and Governors (August 18)
Key discussions will focus on the ECOWAS Macroeconomic Convergence Report for 2024, the status of the ECOWAS Roadmap implementation, inflation trends, currency fluctuations, and preparations for the 2027 launch of the ECOWAS single currency, the ECO.
Henry F. Saamoi, Executive Governor of the Central Bank of Liberia, underscored the significance of the meetings: “These statutory meetings, which will virtually be attended by both the Ministry of Finance & Development Planning (MFDP) and the CBL, reaffirm our collective commitment to regional integration and economic transformation. They provide a platform for evidence-based dialogue and coordinated action to address shared challenges and accelerate the realization of the ECO.”
Amid global economic uncertainties, inflation pressures, and currency depreciation challenges, these sessions aim to fortify regional financial stability and boost intra-ECOWAS trade.
The outcomes of the 2025 mid-year meetings are expected to shape the future trajectory of ECOWAS’s monetary cooperation and enhance economic resilience across West Africa.
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