ECOWAS Lauds International Development Partners

Fri, Nov 28, 2014
By publisher
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Africa

President Kadre Desire Ouedraogo of the Economic Community of West African States has extolled the excellent relationship between the regional body and its international development partners who have been assisting its economic integration programmes

By Maureen Chigbo  | Dec. 8, 2014 @ 01:00 GMT  |

KADRÉ Desire Ouédraogo, president of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, is happy with the international partners of the regional body. The partners have been supporting the regional economic and trade integration process and the West African private sector competitiveness programmes. They include European Union, EU, and the World Bank, United Nations Industrial Development Organsation, UNIDO, and the German International Cooperation Agency, GIZ.

At the official launch of the programmes at the Commission’s Abuja headquarters on Wednesday, November 26, Ouedraogo who commended the partners, said: “While consolidating the common market, the two projects will enable our region’s integration into the global economy while ensuring the competitiveness of our private sector by improving the business climate.”  He underlined the relevance of the components of the programmes, saying they would “not only contribute to addressing the challenges in the implementation of the ECOWAS Common External Tariff , CET, and the Economic Partnership Agreement, EPA, with the EU, but also asserts the important role the private sector plays in promoting West African integration.”

Acknowledging the excellent relationship between the ECOWAS and UEMOA Commissions in the implementation of “our common regional agenda,” he urged all the implementing partners to ensure the effective functioning of the projects’ coordination and monitoring mechanisms.

The president explained that economic growth and poverty reduction as the ultimate goal of the projects may not be attained without taking into account the “new social challenges” and the “consolidation of peace, stability and democracy in West Africa.” Consequently, he commended the decisions by the last ECOWAS Extraordinary summit on the fight against the Ebola Virus Disease and the guidelines for a successful and consensual political transition in Burkina Faso following the recent political crisis in that country.

The EU is contributing some Euro 40 million to the progammes estimated to cost more than $60 million based on an agreement signed by the West African region and the EU, under the 10th Development Fund (EDF). The GIZ, World Bank and UNIDO are the implementing agencies.

In his remarks, Cheick Hadjibou Soumare, president of the UEMOA Commission, thanked the EU and the other partners for supporting the projects, which objectives he said, were in line with UEMOA’s priority progammes.

Brian O’Neil, representative of the head of European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, noted that “with abundant natural and human resources, improved access to markets and conscious effort in addressing the challenges of competitiveness, West Africa can become the next ‘emerging region.’”

Andreas Proksch, GIZ’s general director, Africa, lauded the launch of the programmes, saying, they will promote sustainable economic development and enhance regional integration. The impact of the projects, he said, would be felt not so much in terms of statistics, but how it “will help the people of West Africa to attain a better life in future.”

Marie-Francoise Marie-Nelly, World Bank Country Director, Nigeria, expressed similar sentiments, calling on all stakeholders to ensure quick and successful implementation of the projects.

Patrick Kormawa, UNIDO regional director and representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, assured that UNIDO “as technical partner will lead this programme to success as in previous ones.”

Also present at the launch ceremony, which was followed by technical presentations on the two projects were Toga McIntosh, ECOWAS Commission vice president, Traore Khalilou, Commissioners for Industry and Private Sector Promotion, Bangoura Morlaye, Energy and Mines, Ibrahim Bocar Ba, Macroeconomic Policy and the UEMOA Commissioner for regional market, Christophe Marie Dabire, Trade Competition and Cooperation,

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