President Bola Tinubu has presented the state of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) report at the mid-year coordination meeting of the African Union in Accra, Ghana.
The mid-year coordination meeting, initiated in 2017, serves
as the principal forum for the AU and Regional Economic Communities (RECs) to
align their work and coordinate the implementation of the continental
integration agenda, replacing the June/July summits.
This year’s meeting, themed “Educate and Skill Africa for
the 21st Century,” brought together the Bureau of the AU Assembly, RECs
chairpersons, the AU Commission, and regional mechanisms (RMs) on Saturday.
In a statement on Sunday, Ajuri Ngelale, presidential
spokesperson, quoted Tinubu, who is the chairman of ECOWAS, as saying the
community “has activated a standby force to counter-terrorism and will continue
to explore funding options”.
He added that ECOWAS has actively supported member states in
enhancing electoral and governance processes, recently deploying election
observation missions to Senegal and Togo, both of which were deemed “peaceful,
transparent, and fair”.
He highlighted the facilitation of the national unity
agreement signing in Sierra Leone, while noting that ECOWAS will continue to
work with stakeholders to implement the agreement’s provisions.
The president said consultations are ongoing to revise the
ECOWAS 2001 Supplementary Protocol on democracy and good governance.
On economic integration, Tinubu stated that ECOWAS has
consolidated the free trade area, customs union, and common market through
various activities.
“We supported six Member States in ratifying the WTO
Fisheries Subsidies Agreement, and thirteen Member States have ratified the
AFCFTA agreement,” Tinubu said.
“The ECOWAS interconnected System for the Management of Goods
in Transit (SIGMAT) is also operational in twelve Member States.”
On the humanitarian and social development front, Tinubu
noted that ECOWAS has allocated $9 million to assist refugees, internally
displaced persons, and asylum seekers.
“The frontline Member
States in the fight against terrorism have also been supported with USD4
million under the ECOWAS Counter Terrorism Humanitarian Response,” the
president said.
“On education, the West African Network of National
Academies of Sciences, and the African Forum for Research and Innovation have
been established.
“Our regional academic mobility scheme has continued to
equip the youth with practical skills and is harmonizing education systems.
“While in the area of health, ECOWAS continues to provide
support to women with obstetric fistula, empowered women entrepreneurs in
agribusiness, and focused on gender equality in education and the green
economy.”
Tinubu highlighted progress in energy, mines, and
agriculture, with ECOWAS advancing electrification efforts in The Gambia,
Guinea Bissau, and Mali through the ECOWAS-Regional Electricity Access Project
(ECOREAP).
“It is also implementing the Regional Off Grid Electricity
Access Project (ROGEAP). Thirty-two Solar Off Grid SMEs have been approved,
including nine SMEs led by women. A total of 3 million US dollars will be
disbursed to finance the SMEs. More than 400 SMEs in 13 countries were trained
in 2023 and 2024,” Tinubu said.
“To achieve
sustainable electricity access within the ECOWAS and Sahel countries, we will
provide a total grant of 38 million US dollars to SMEs in Member States. ECOWAS
will extend this to Mauritania, Central African Republic, Chad and Cameroon
through Commercial and Financial Institutions. An additional loan of 140
million US dollars will also be made available to the solar SMEs.
“Within the period under review, ECOWAS has supported
Experts from Member States in international meetings and negotiations on
environmental issues, including environmental governance. We provided support
to our members in the implementation of the Paris Agreement and the
establishment of a regional carbon market.
“With respect to food
security, the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) has approved
the instruments to operationalize the Regional Fund for Agriculture and Food
(RFAF). A Regional Food Security was developed to achieve self-sufficiency in rice
production.
“Furthermore, our support for pastoralism in the Sahel has
targeted the improvement of animal health, with a record vaccination of over
490 million livestock. We have established common rules for controlling
veterinary medicine products at borders. In addition, ECOWAS launched a project
for Member States to access the Green Climate Fund. This will promote
climate-smart agriculture through the use of technologies.”
Tinubu noted that the sixth legislature of the ECOWAS
parliament elected Maimunatu Ibrahim, its first female President from Togo.
He added that the ECOWAS community court of justice reviewed
fifteen new cases, held thirty-three court sessions, and delivered eleven
judgments.
However, the ECOWAS chairman warned of multiple threats
facing the bloc, including member states withdrawing, geopolitical rivalries,
terrorism, food insecurity, climate change, and the spread of misinformation.
He assured that ECOWAS will continue dialogue with Burkina
Faso, Mali, and Niger to maintain unity and will convene a special
extra-ordinary summit on the future of the community.
On the sidelines of the AU meeting, Tinubu held a bilateral
meeting with Ismail Omar Guelleh, Djibouti president.
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