By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
Permanent Representatives of ECOWAS member states under the Leadership of the President of the ECOWAS Commission Dr. Omar Alieu Touray met recently at the Commission Headquarters in Abuja to strengthen cooperation and promote partnership among member states.
Dr. Touray stated that Community’s goals cannot be achieved without cooperation with the Permanent Representatives which is one of the levels at which the Mediation and Security Council (MSC) operates.
He expressed profound gratitude to the ambassadors for their great contributions to ECOWAS over the years and recalled that the Authority of Heads of States and Government in July 2020 adopted Supplementary Act which charged Permanent Representatives with greater responsibilities beyond matters of sub-regional peace and security.
President Touray noted that the theme for his management is “Towards Shared Prosperity”, promised to undertake streamlined initiatives that will deepen integration, strengthen peace and security, promote sustainable productivity and inclusive development, entrench good governance and foster equitable partnerships within the community.
Meanwhile Touray stressed the importance of building stronger institutions which will include careful re-evaluation and implementation of institutional reforms that have long been planned but remain uncompleted.
The decision to consider the PRC as an advisory organ of the Council as directed by the Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers, he said will be given priority, Touray promised.
The Chair of the ECOWAS Permanent Representative (PRC), H. E João Ribeiro Butiam said that PRC is looking forward to working with the new ECOWAS management and reaffirmed their willingness to collaborate on the challenges of implementing institutional reforms and achieving political stability in the sub-region.
The meeting attended by the Vice-President of the ECOWAS Commission, H. E Damtien L. Tchintchibidja, Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, Mme Massandjé Toure-Litse, Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalisation, Mr. Sédiko Douka and Prof. Fatou Sarr Sow, Commissioner for Human Development and Social Affairs, as well as Directors from the ECOWAS Commission.
