Commemoration of the 48th anniversary of the establishment of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Burkina Faso
Commemoration of the 48th anniversary of the establishment of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Burkina Faso
From 21 May to 2 June 2023, a series of educational and sporting activities was organised in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, a series of educational and sporting activities were organised to commemorate the 48th anniversary of the establishment of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) under the theme ‘Towards Shared Prosperity’.
As part of these celebrations, the ECOWAS Centre for Youth and Sports Development (CDJS/ECOWAS) collaborated with the ECOWAS Representation in Burkina Faso, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Cooperation and Burkinabè Abroad, and several Burkinabè sports federations to organise the programme.
Activities included the ECOWAS Cycling Grand Prix, the 9th edition of the football academies’ tournament, a boxing gala, an international pétanque tournament, a panel discussion on the free movement of goods and people, and an inter-school public speaking competition in Ouagadougou, which aimed to raise the profile of ECOWAS amongst pupils and to instil in them, in addition to public speaking skills, the values of peace, tolerance and civic-mindedness for the prosperity of the community.
To bring the sporting celebrations to a close with a focus on shared prosperity, the Director of the CDJS/ECOWAS, Mr Francis Chuks NJOAGUANI, took part in the final of the pétanque tournament on the evening of Sunday 28 May at the Newton Sports Complex, in Ouagadougou. The tournament attracted 98 triplets, including teams from Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Togo and Côte d’Ivoire. Having begun the previous day, the tournament saw an equally thrilling and tense final between the triplet from the Burkinabè Post Office team and that of Burkina Faso’s second national team, with the latter emerging victorious in the presence of the President of the Burkinabè Pétanque Federation, the National Director of Sport, the Director of the CDJS and the distinguished guests in attendance.
The CDJS extends its gratitude to all its partners who remained fully committed to the events, ensuring that the commemoration of the 48th anniversary of ECOWAS in Burkina Faso was a memorable occasion.
