By Makiza Micheline Latifa | May 29, 2026
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has marked the 51st anniversary of the Economic Community of West African States with a debate competition that placed secondary school students at the heart of critical conversations about the bloc’s past, present and future.
The Fourth Edition of the Second Cycle Inter-School Debate, held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Accra on Friday, brought together students from six senior high schools across the capital to argue out some of the most pressing questions confronting West African integration today.
Speaking at the event, Head of the Performance Delivery Unit of the Ministry, Ambassador Alexander Grant Ntrakwa, described the competition as both timely and significant, saying it offers students a unique platform to engage critically with issues of regional integration, peace and development.
“This debate provides a unique platform for our students, future leaders, diplomats and policymakers, to engage critically with issues of regional integration, peace and development, in line with the mandate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” he said.
The presence of ECOWAS was felt strongly at the event. Speaking on behalf of ECOWAS Commission President Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, Mr. Asare Amoako Attah Jnr drove home a message that resonated well beyond the walls of the auditorium. He told the students that regional integration presents immense opportunities for their generation, opening doors for education, innovation, entrepreneurship and employment beyond national borders.
“Through student exchange programs, regional scholarships, research collaboration and digital technology partnerships, our young people can gain valuable experience and contribute to the development of the region,” he said.
The debates themselves tackled some of the most consequential fault lines in the regional integration conversation. In the first round, students argued whether national sovereignty remains a major obstacle to economic development within ECOWAS. The second round took on the wave of unconstitutional changes of government that have swept the sub-region, with students debating whether military takeovers are the primary reason West Africa remains one of the least integrated regions in the world.
The third round pushed the conversation further, asking whether West Africa needs a single federal government rather than separate national governments to achieve true integration, a question that has animated Pan-African thinkers for generations. The final round brought the competition to a close with a motion that cut to the heart of ECOWAS’s founding promise: after 51 years, is the protocol on the free movement of people and goods a myth or a reality?
Participating schools included the Accra STEM Academy, Frafraha Community Day Senior High School, Chemu Senior High School, Odorgonno Senior High School, Accra Academy, and St. Mary’s Girls’ Senior High School, which emerged winners of this year’s edition.
Closing the event, Ambassador Agyemang commended all participating students for what he described as a yeoman’s job, and urged them to continue engaging in events of this nature to further strengthen the cause of regional integration.
For Lina Dadzie of St. Mary’s Girls’ Senior High School, the victory was personal as much as it was academic. She expressed excitement at her school’s win and encouraged students across the country to participate in similar competitions to sharpen their skills and deepen their understanding of the world around them.
As West Africa navigates a period of democratic uncertainty, economic headwinds and renewed calls for deeper continental unity, the voices of these young debaters may yet prove to be among the most important in the conversations ahead.