…as Touray seeks guidance on fair, inclusive hiring process
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has launched a move to resolve the ongoing recruitment crisis affecting its institutions across member states.
The initiative aims to ensure a fair and inclusive hiring process following persistent delays, an ageing workforce, and the recent exit of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger from the regional bloc.
Speaking during a session of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers convened specifically to address the recruitment challenges facing the organization, on Thursday in Abuja, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Alieu Touray, said the action became necessary due to administrative bottlenecks and the manual system used in processing applications, which slowed down recruitment across the institutions.
Dr Touray said the Commission was now seeking guidance from the Council of Ministers on how to distribute vacant positions equitably among the remaining member states and determine the status of staff with dual nationality.
He explained that over the past three years, the recruitment process had been constrained by existing staff regulations that limited management’s ability to speed up the filling of vacancies, leading to a gap between available positions and new hires.
According to him, ECOWAS has had to engage additional recruitment firms and is now working to introduce an e-recruitment system to fast-track applications and interviews.
He also noted that the sudden departure of staff from the three countries that exited ECOWAS had created a major vacuum, requiring urgent attention to restore balance and ensure representation from all member states.
Dr Touray further requested clarity on how to handle staff who hold dual nationality, emphasizing the importance of inclusivity and fairness in a globalized environment.
He said, “In the last three years, we have managed to fill vacancies in our institutions using a staff regulation that, for a large part, constrains management’s ability to administratively expedite this process. It has therefore become necessary to refer to Council from time to time to help us untangle the web.
“The volume of applicants is beyond the capacity of the recruitment firms in place due to the largely manual method used in processing the applications. Therefore, we have had to recruit additional recruitment firms and sought your approval for these international independent firms to come to assist with an end-to-end recruitment exercise.
“With the sudden departure of a large number of our workforce who are nationals of countries that exited from the organization, namely Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, we are faced with the challenge of replacing them. We need Council to guide us in the equitable distribution of the vacant positions among all the Member States without sacrificing competence.
“As our staff regulation did not provide any guidance on how to allocate vacant positions to specific Member States for the purpose of achieving equity, it has become necessary for Council to provide its guidance on the way forward.”
Earlier in her remarks, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, reaffirmed Nigeria’s support for ECOWAS, saying the exercise was vital to help the organization operate at full capacity.
She assured participants of Nigeria’s support towards ensuring the success of the ECOWAS system.
“We fully recognize the importance of this exercise as an essential undertaking aimed at ensuring that all existing vacancies are duly filled,” she said.
Also speaking, Chair of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers and Sierra Leone’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Musa Timothy Kabba, urged fairness and inclusivity in the recruitment process to strengthen regional unity and cooperation.
Kabba emphasized that the integrity of the recruitment process was critical to restoring confidence among ECOWAS citizens, many of whom look to the institution for leadership and accountability.
He said merit, competence, and regional balance should guide every appointment to maintain transparency and sustain the community’s reputation as a people-centered organization.
He also stressed the importance of avoiding political interference or favoritism in the recruitment process, adding that the credibility of ECOWAS depends on the professionalism of its workforce.
He said, “Our focus should not only be on equitable distribution across Member States but also on fairness and inclusivity to ensure a shared vision for the future.
“The strength of ECOWAS lies in its people. We must ensure that every appointment reflects our diversity while maintaining high standards of competence and integrity. Only through such transparency can we rebuild trust and unity across the region,” Kabba added.
He reaffirmed Sierra Leone’s commitment to the goals and objectives of ECOWAS.
