Enikanolaiye leads Nigeria’s delegation to 96th ECOWAS Council of Ministers Session
ECOWAS
Abdullateef Fowewe
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, led the Nigerian delegation to the 96th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers held in Freetown, Sierra Leone, on Thursday, July 16, 2026.
This was made known on Friday in a statement signed by Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to the press release Ambassador Enikanolaiye contributed to discussions on the President’s 2026 Interim Report on the State of the ECOWAS Community.
He “appreciated the President of the Commission for the comprehensive presentation of the Interim Report and called for his Council colleagues to join in commending the outgoing president for his dedication to advancing the Community’s strategic objectives.”
On financial matters, the Minister commended improvements in revenue mobilisation and urged enhanced budget implementation, financial management, and accountability.
He emphasised the need for cost-saving measures amid rising operational expenses, inflation, and economic challenges, while calling for “strong measures to curtail its operational costs and avoid wastage of resources of the community.”
The statement also highlighted cultural heritage efforts.
Ambassador Enikanolaiye “applauded the ongoing efforts to recover and preserve Africa’s cultural heritage” and informed participants that Nigeria has a national framework for returning cultural property.
He cited “the recent experience whereby Switzerland officially handed over twenty-three (23) artefacts to Nigerian authorities.”
Nigeria further supported the adoption of an Action Plan for the restitution and protection of cultural property and backed initiatives like the West Africa Integration and Investment Summit (WAII S-2026), stressing the need for private sector-led investment.
