Africa
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The Economic Community of West African States has appointed Amabassador Tunde Ajisomo as its special representative to man its office in Liberia which was re-opened recently
| By Maureen Chigbo | Jan. 27, 2014 @ 01:00 GMT
The Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, has re-opened its office in Liberia, which was closed in 2010. The regional body has also appointed Ambassador Tunde Ajisomo as the special representative of the ECOWAS Commission’s President to Liberia. Ajisomo presented his credentials to Liberia’s President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in Monrovia last month.
A statement from the ECOWAS Commission recently said during the presentation ceremony, Ajisomo pledged ECOWAS support for the Liberian government’s six-year agenda for transformation, AFT, 2012-2017 and the National Framework Vision 2030 aimed at consolidating peace and stability and making Liberia a middle-income country by 2030. The envoy affirmed the thrust of ECOWAS’ strategic Vision 2020 aimed at deepening regional integration and transforming “our region from an ECOWAS of States to an ECOWAS of the People.”
He assured the Liberian leader that ECOWAS would continue to provide necessary assistance to the government and people of Liberia, hence the re-opening of the office of the special representative of the president of ECOWAS commission at ambassadorial level. The office was first opened in 2004 before its closure.
Ajisomo, on behalf of the ECOWAS Commission, also congratulated the Liberian people on the country’s recent celebration of 10 years of sustained peace and stability, facilitated by ECOWAS.
Responding, President Johnson-Sirleaf expressed her appreciation to Kadré Desire Ouédraogo, president of ECOWAS commission, for re-opening the ECOWAS office in Liberia. Commending ECOWAS for resolving conflicts and its leadership role in crisis management in the region, Johnson Sirleaf assured the envoy of the fullest support of the government of Liberia in the discharge of his duties in country. She called on ECOWAS and other international partners to adopt an integrated approach in dealing with the challenges of human and drug trafficking and other organised cross-border crimes, including terrorism, illegal trade in small arms and light weapons. She also called for the acceleration of regional infrastructural development.
After the ceremony, Ajisomo hosted a well-attended reception for members of the Diplomatic Corps and friends of ECOWAS to mark the occasion and the re- opening of ECOWAS Office in Liberia. He also paid courtesy visits on the ministers of finance, national planning and information culture and tourism as well as the special representatives of the United Nations, the European Union and the African Union, among others. During the visits, he assured them of ECOWAS’ readiness to work closely with all relevant stakeholders in Liberia to advance ECOWAS integration projects in Liberia and in the sub-region.
Tags: Ambassador Tunde Ajisomo Economic Community of West African States ECOWAS Kadré Desire Ouédraogo President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
