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  • Representatives of ECOWAS Members States Meet in Abuja to strengthen partnership

    Representatives of ECOWAS Members States Meet in Abuja to strengthen partnership

    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.

  • ECOWAS partners EU, Germany to hold capacity security training for member states

    ECOWAS partners EU, Germany to hold capacity security training for member states

    By Joyce Remi-Babayeju

    ECOWAS in partnership with the EU and Germany and the African Security Sector Network is holding Security Sector Reform and Governance Training Workshop starting from August 9 to 12, 2220 in Monrovia, Liberia.

    The Monrovia training is aimed at developing the capacity of institutions and stakeholders in the security sector within ECOWAS Member States.

    The opening ceremony was attended by H.E. Josephine Nkrumah, Resident Representative of the President of ECOWAS Commission in Liberia said that the workshop is relevant at a time when Liberia is addressing issues relating to improving and sustaining reforms in the security sector. 

    In attendance were the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Liberia, Head of the European Delegation in Liberia, and the German Ambassador, among other key state and non-state security sector actors. 

  • Regional Nepotism: Nigeria threatens to pull out from ECOWAS

    Regional Nepotism: Nigeria threatens to pull out from ECOWAS

    By joyce Remi- Babayeju

    The Nigerian Government have threatened to withdraw it’s membership from the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS regional economic bloc over allegations of nepotic activities in recruitment of staff.

    The Nigeria representatives at the parliament of (ECOWAS) issued this threatened today as the lawmakers bemoaned the huge financial commitments Nigeria makes to the body while relegating funding its internal security challenges.

    The lawmakers noted that despite Nigeria’s financial commitment to the regional body there is no return on investment for Nigeria citing the recent lopsided recruitment exercise at the ECOWAS parliament where Nigeria was excluded as a result of the personal interest of member states.

    Meanwhile, last month, at the 2022 First Ordinary Session of the Parliament, the lawmakers had passed a resolution to suspend the recruitment exercise, after Nigerian representatives at the parliament alleged discrimination and lopsidedness in the recruitment of workers at the ECOWAS Commission in Abuja.

    A Nigerian lawmaker at the ECOWAS Parliament, Hon . Awajim Abiante had moved the motion to suspend the recruitment and promotion in the ECOWAS Parliament. The motion was seconded by Sen. Biodun Olujimi, a Nigerian Lawmaker at the Parliament, supported by Hon. Yousoufa Bida and concurrently agreed by the house.

    Abiante, who represents Andoni/OpoECOWAS bo/Nkoro federal constituency in the House of Representatives said, “The Speaker of ECOWAS Parliament is duty bound to respect the resolutions of Parliament.

    The Deputy Speaker of the Nigerian House of Representatives, who is also the first Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Ahmed Wase told newsmen that it has become imperative that Nigeria review its relevance and membership of the regional bloc owing to discrimination in employment pattern.

    Wase said, “If you are in a system, and you are not getting the right results, where you are investigating your money, it pays best to walk out of the union. In a situation where we are having an infrastructural deficit and witnessing security challenges, why should we continue to invest our money where it will not benefit our country. Yes, we will pull out if we don’t get the desired result from this.”

    “This action directly contravenes the recommendations of the 30th meeting of the ECOWAS Administrative and Finance Committee as well as the position5+1 of the Council of Ministers, which directed that internal candidates should be prioritized in filling existing vacancies in ECOWAS institutions, as recommended in the Staff Skills Audit Report.”

    Honourable Wase complained that Nigeria contributed over 60 percent of ECOWAS funding comes from Nigeria and called for transparency in running affairs of the block.

    “We have staffers who are of Nigerian origin that may have done better or progressed rapidly in their career if they were within the bureaucracy of the Nigeria Nigerian civil service. Their colleagues and contemporary in the Nigerian civil service are now directors and even permanent Secretaries and those of them in ECOWAS institutions have stagnated for years. They are not promoted because they are engaged as casual staff. We cannot subject these staff to remain at the same level for more than 10 years. ECOWAS employed them as casual staff, and kept them as casual staff for that long.

    “It offends the International Labour Organization (ILO), Convention on Forced Labour. I was an activist and a unionist, before joining politics. We cannot keep an employee for more than six months on a casual basis, it is against international law. But here we have kept them for a number of years, up to nine years, it is inhuman, Wade emphasized.

    The Nigerian Permanent Representative to ECOWAS, Musa Nuhu, had also written to the Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Sidie Tunis, over the nepotistic employment scandal rocking ECOWAS.

    The letter dated July 20, 2022, and titled, “Formal complaint about unfair treatment and confirmation of staff at the ECOWAS parliament.”

    He said “we are asking for justice not just for Nigerians alone, but for the entire ECOWAS community. That is what MPs are asking for. There are few countries that want to run ECOWAS like a cabal but we will not tolerate that.”

  • ECOWAS holds Trade Facilitation Retreat for interdepartmental Directorates

    ECOWAS holds Trade Facilitation Retreat for interdepartmental Directorates

    By Joyce Remi-Babayeju

    The Directorate of Trade of the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has organised a 3 Day Retreat for its Interdepartmental Committee on Trade Facilitation in Lagos, Nigeria.

    In a press release made available to Daybreak today from the ECOWAS Commission, the Retreat which commenced in Lagos , Nigeria from August 1- 3, 2022 is aimed at enhancing the structure of the Regional Trade Facilitation Committee (RTFC) by approving Technical Working Groups (TWGs) and to validate guiding documents on implementation of regional Trade Facilitation.

    Also to draft documents the Regional Trade & Transport Facilitation Strategy (RTTFS) and the Regional Policy and Strategy Frameworks for Elimination of Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs).

    The Committee will also examine draft documents on the Common Trade Policy (CTP), the Trade and Investment Strategy and birth a Framework of coordination on trade facilitation on the Abidjan-Lagos corridor.

    Acting Director Trade of the ECOWAS Commission, Mr. kola Sofola was on ground to welcome the participants on behalf of Mrs. Massandje Toure-Litse, Commissioner of Economic Affairs and Agriculture.

    Participants at the Retreat include representatives from the following Directorates: Trade, Customs Union and Taxation, Transport, ECOWAS Gender Development Centre, Private Sector, Industry, Free Movement, Research & Statistics, External Relations, Legal Affairs, Communication, Information Technology Services, and GIZ.

  • ECOWAS combats cybercrime, trains law enforcement personnel on cybersecurity in Cabo Verde

    ECOWAS combats cybercrime, trains law enforcement personnel on cybersecurity in Cabo Verde

    By Joyce Remi-Babayeju

    In a bid to combat cybercrime and sustain cybersecurity in the sub region, the ECOWAS Commission organized a One Week capacity strengthening training programme for law enforcement personnels from Cabo Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.
    The training Workshop tagged E- Evidence and Training the Trainers First Responders on Cyber security held in Praise, Cabo Verde from 25- 29 July, 2022.

    The Workshop was organized on the platform of the West African Response on Cyber security fight against Cybercrime OCWAR- C, project in collaboration with the Council of Europe and Interpol.

    The OCWAR-C project funded by the European Union is aimed at improving resilience and robustness of information infrastructure in Member States; increase capacities of relevant stakeholders of Member States in charge of the fight against cybercrime.

    Principal Program Officer Internet, Cybersecurity, and E-applications at the ECOWAS Commission, Ms Folake Olagunju who represented Mr. Sediko Douka, Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalisation,at the opening of the Workshop emphasized the importance of having a coordinated and collaborative approach towards securing ECOWAS cyber space.
    Olagunju urged participants to share their national perspectives and experiences as an opportunity to build bridges and lay the foundation for cooperation with regards to future partnerships.

    She noted that the training be interactive, as she emphazied the need to build human capacities in a harmonized manner across the region.

    Also the European Union deputy head of delegation to Cabo Verde, Mr Ignacio Sobrino Castello re- emphasized that the objectives of the OCWAR-C project is to support the strengthening of the cyberspace of the beneficiary countries and build capacities in the fight against Cybercrime.

    Castello disclosed that in Cabo Verde the EU has contributed in the development of cybersecurity, combatting cybercrime and Digital Economy in general.

    Futhermore he stressed the need for enhanced cooperation between ECOWAS Member States and the ECOWAS commission and international partners.

    The Secretary of State for Digital Economy of Cabo Verde, Mr Joel Almeida, Advisor to the secretary welcomed all participants to Cabo Verde and reaffirmed Cabo Verde’s commitment to playing its part in the region’s cyber ecosystem.

    He indicated that the Cabo Verde’s national cybersecurity strategy contains concrete implementation actions that are in line with the ECOWAS Regional Cyber strategy adopted in 2021.
    He also stated that the national cybersecurity centre and CSIRT-CV are underway.

    He commended the organisation of the forthcoming first ECOWAS Regional Hackerlab Challenge scheduled to hold from 10 – 12 October 2022 as a great opportunity to bring the community together to spark interest in the ongoing challenges of keeping the region cybersecure and as a means of finding young talent who are ready to be next generation of skilful cybersecurity workforce.

  • ECOWAS condemns Conakry violence, calls for restoration of constitutional order

    ECOWAS condemns Conakry violence, calls for restoration of constitutional order

    By Joyce Remi-Babayeju

    The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has condemned the Conakry violence which occurred on the 28th and 29th of July, ,2022 resulting in fatalities, injuries and destruction of property.

    The ECOWAS Community while expressing it’s deep concern about the increasing socio-political tension in Guinea called for the release of the detainees and for the prompt investigation into circumstance that lead to the unfortunate incident and to bring sanctions against perpetrators in accordance to the law.

    A statement signed by ECOWAS Mediator Thomas Boni Yayi , said
    that the Community has appealed to the people of Guinea authorities , the political class, and the civil society to engage in inclusive dialogue in order to de-escalate the tension and agree on a reasonable time frame and modalities for the peaceful restoration of constitutional order.

    The Community remains fully committed to supporting the Transition authorities and the Guinean people in this endeavor including through the ECOWAS Mediation led by Boni Yayi.

  • ECOWAS gets $5m World Bank grant for identification of 100 m people to enhance access to services

    ECOWAS gets $5m World Bank grant for identification of 100 m people to enhance access to services

    By Joyce Remi-Babayeju

    The ECOWAS Commission has received the sum of $5 million from the World Bank to help facilitate the integrated unique identification of about 100 million people to enable them access critical services within the region.

    The unique identification project which aligns with the ECOWAS vision 2025 is a West African Unique Regional Integration and Inclusion project, WURI, which targets over 100 million unregistered people within the region by 2028 who do not have proof of being members of the society to have access to critical services.

    According to the ECOWAS Commission the identification of persons in member states is an important tool and is a key enabler for eradicating poverty and for achieving a broad range of development outcomes, the Commission said.

    “The West African Unique Integration and Inclusion WURI project is a World Bank-financed project to enhance and implement a multiphase programme of increasing the number of persons in participating Member States who have government-recognised proof of unique identity that facilitates their access to services.”

    The programme designed in two phases which gulps a combined sum of $ 399.1 million depends on ECOWAS Protocol of Free Movement of Persons, Right of Residence and Right of establishment.
    The identification of persons Phase 1 covers Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea  which closed on 32st May 2018 and phase 2 covers Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Togo expected to close by 3rd July 2028.

    The unique identification goals catchment include Economic Integration and Interconnectivity, Transformation and Inclusive and Sustainable Development and Social Inclusion particularly to “provide legal identity for all, including birth registration” by 2030.

    Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture to the West Africa Unique Identification for Regional Integration and Inclusion (WURI) Project Implementing Unit (PIU)l, Ms Massandje Toure-Litse on Monday met staff in Nigeria for the first time since she by the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS in Accra, Ghana.
    Ms Toure- Litse is to lead the newly created Commission for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, the Commission added.

  • Humanitarian: FG, ECOWAS support WFP with $1m for indigent citizens in Zamfara , Katsina, Borno

    Humanitarian: FG, ECOWAS support WFP with $1m for indigent citizens in Zamfara , Katsina, Borno

    By Joyce Remi-Babayeju

    The Nigeria Government in collaboration with the ECOWAS in 2021 supported the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) with the sum of US$1 million as humanitarian assistance to the Nigerians trapped in the violent conflicts in North West and North East Nigeria.

    The ECOWAS fund drawn from ECOWAS Regional Stabilization Fund was to alleviate food and nutrition needs in Katsina, Zamfara and Borno states.

    The humanitarian ministry said that the programme was to provide food assistance to 840 food insecure households with 4,196 persons in Zamfara, Katsina and Borno states.
    Also the beneficiaries received additional cash transfer of N 27,000 each in their prepaid bank cards or WFP SCOPE cards every month to purchase their preferred food from local markets.

    Beneficiaries are encouraged to buy a wide range of local nutritious foods as an added advantage of stimulating local markets and agricultural production in the country.

    Meanwhile the programme includes preventing acute malnutrition in children in the first 1,000 days of their lives by providing nutrition assistance to children between 6 – 23 months old, pregnant and breastfeeding women from indigent households.

    Equally 14,070 children and 1,932 pregnant/breastfeeding women receive specialized nutritious food in the three project states, the ministry stated.

    The WFP donation to build the resilience of the households in the conflict-affected states of Borno, Adamawa, Yobe and Katsina.
    Commenting on the assisted programme, the humanitarian ministry Minister Sadiya Farouq said, “This project has provided the FMHADMSD the unique opportunity of showcasing best practices of partnership and collaboration in delivering humanitarian intervention. It has equally advanced the efforts of the Nigerian Government in touching the lives of a critical mass of Nigerians in vulnerable situations.”

    Commissioner for Social Affairs and Gender, ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Siga Fatima Jagne, stated that the programme which is in line with the ECOWAS humanitarian mandate of 17th December 2016 is to assist victims of North East Nigeria terrorism.
    Jagne said, ” the ECOWAS Commission in strong collaboration with the Government of Nigeria and the World Food Programme is providing humanitarian support to our populations in need in Nigeria and will continue to build the resilience of our people to bridge the humanitarian-development nexus across the West African region for a prosperous ECOWAS Community.”

    WFP Representative and Country Director in Nigeria Ronald Sibanda, noted that persistent conflict, climate change and climate shocks in addition to continued hunger drive high food prices and reduced household purchasing power undermine people ability to feed themselves in the affected states.

    “In these affected states, persistent conflict, climate shocks, high food prices and reduced household purchasing power undermine people’s ability to feed themselves, Sibanda remarked.

    WFP welcomes this contribution which underpins efforts to continue providing life-saving food and nutrition support and livelihoods assistance to those in need in the conflict-affected states, he said.

  • No Excuse Whatsoever For Burkina Faso Coup – Osinbajo

    No Excuse Whatsoever For Burkina Faso Coup – Osinbajo

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has condemned the military coup in Burkina Faso, saying there is no excuse to justify what happened in the West African country.

    He stated this on Thursday after attending the ECOWAS Extraordinary Summit on the political situations in Burkina Faso, Mali and Guinea in Accra, the capital of Ghana.

    The Vice President, who represented President Muhammadu Buhari at the Summit, said talks were ongoing with the military junta to return to civil rule.

    “So, what happened in Burkina Faso was considered and has been condemned by all of the heads of state and we do not think there is any excuse for it whatsoever,” the Vice President told reporters in Abuja.

    “I think it has been fruitful, the Heads of State again reiterated the firm position that had been taken earlier that there is absolutely no excuse for a change of government by coup d’etat.

    “But at the moment, of course, engagement is going on with the military junta and also we condemned the attempted coup in Guinea-Bissau and congratulated President Embalo and the people of Guinea-Bissau for resisting that unconstitutional attempt to change the government.

    “All in all it has been fruitful and we are very hopeful that lessons had been learnt and we will not see a repeat of this.”

    Emergency talks in the Ghanaian capital Accra were triggered after Burkina Faso on January 24 became the third member of the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to be overtaken by the military.

    Burkina followed Mali, where a coup in September 2020 was followed by a second in May 2021, and Guinea, where elected president Alpha Conde was ousted last September.

    Adding to the region’s turmoil was a gun attack on Tuesday on the president of Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embalo, stoking fears that years of efforts to steer West Africa towards stability and democracy are failing.

    Already, the African Union said Monday it had suspended Burkina Faso in response to the January 24 coup that ousted President Roch Marc Christian Kabore.

    The bloc’s 15-member Peace and Security Council said on Twitter it had voted “to suspend the participation of #BurkinaFaso in all AU activities until the effective restoration of constitutional order in the country”.

    Moussa Faki Mahamat, chair of the African Union Commission, had already condemned the coup the day it happened and before it was clear who was taking charge.

    The West African bloc ECOWAS suspended Burkina Faso on Friday and sent a delegation to meet with the ruling junta Saturday.

  • Burkina Faso: ECOWAS To Engage With Coup Leaders On Way Forward

    Burkina Faso: ECOWAS To Engage With Coup Leaders On Way Forward

    The Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, Authority of Heads of State and Government, on Friday resolved to engage with the leaders of the junta that recently seized authority in Burkina Faso.

    Consequently, the ECOWAS body has agreed to send high-powered military and diplomatic emissaries to Ouagadougou, the capital of the country, on Saturday for situation assessments of developments in the country.

    Speaking to journalists after an emergency virtual meeting of ECOWAS apex decision-making body, the Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyema, said President Muhammadu Buhari, is in support of the decisions taken.

    According to the Minister, Nigeria is fully in support of the ECOWAS demand for an immediate return to constitutional rule, release of the incarcerated President Roch Marc Kabore and total cooperation with the regional body in the process of sorting out the current situation.

    He said “the position is, of course, we condemn the coup and asking for immediate return to constitutional order, the release of the President and anybody else who’s being detained and to cooperate with ECOWAS and to be part of ECOWAS decisions”.

    Asked what President Buhari told the ECOWAS meeting, Onyema said “he said he was in support of the decisions that were taken at this summit. They condemned the coup. They demanded immediate release of the President, who is being detained, and an immediate process of return to constitutional order.

    “A decision that the Chiefs of Defense Staff of ECOWAS Member States should head tomorrow to Burkina Faso to assess the situation from a strategic also military angle, and to be followed immediately by a visit of a team of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of ECOWAS countries, again, to assess the situation and then report to a meeting of the Heads of States, and then a definitive decision will be taken as to how to proceed. ECOWAS is going to have to engage with the junta. Well, you have to”, he said.

    Asked what might happen if the demands are not met, the Minister said “that’ll now be for the summit meeting, that’s what I was saying, to now take a definitive decision because they would have had the benefit of the input of the Chiefs of Defense Staff, the benefit of the input of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, who would have gone there, and then they will be in a position to now take an informed and definitive decision”, he said.