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PUNCH NG
The Economic Community of West African states says it allocated at least $13m to counterterrorism efforts in frontline states and to shore up humanitarian efforts in the region.
The regional bloc said it is exploring other funding options for its $2.6bn Standby Force.
Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu, who serves as Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of the Heads of State and Government, revealed these as part of a one-year report highlighting the bloc’s achievements and challenges at the Sixth Mid-Year Coordination Meeting of the African Union in Accra, Ghana, on Sunday.
A statement by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, quoted the President as saying, “ECOWAS has allocated $9m to assist persons of concern, including refugees, internally displaced persons, and asylum seekers.
“The frontline member states in the fight against terrorism have also been supported with $4m under the ECOWAS Counter-Terrorism Humanitarian Response.”
Tinubu added that ECOWAS would soon convene a special extraordinary session to discuss its future.
Tinubu, who did not state the date of the meeting, said leaders would discuss ongoing talks with estranged member states – Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso.
His comments come two weeks after he was re-elected for another one-year tenure as ECOWAS Chairman at the 65th Ordinary Session of the Authority held at the State House, Abuja, on July 7.
After his mandate was renewed, Tinubu appointed his Senegalese and Togolese counterparts, Bassirou Faye and Faure Gnassingbé, respectively, to lead ECOWAS’ mediation efforts with Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso.
The civilian governments in Burkina Faso and Mali and Niger fell to military control in May 2021, September 2022 and July 2023, respectively.
Consequently, the ECOWAS announced economic sanctions that isolated the three states alongside Guinea, where the military took over in September 2021.
Although ECOWAS later agreed to lift some economic and travel sanctions in February, the junta-led states maintained their stance to exit the union.
On July 6, Niger’s General Abdourahmane Tchiani, Burkina Faso’s Captain Ibrahim Traore, and Mali’s Colonel Assimi Goita signed a confederation treaty which, they said, would strengthen a mutual defence pact announced last September, the Alliance of Sahel States.
Nonetheless, the ECOWAS says it is still championing efforts towards reintegrating the sister states into the nearly 50-year-old bloc.
Speaking on Sunday, Tinubu noted that the bloc faces multiple threats, including member states withdrawing, geopolitical rivalries, terrorism, food insecurity, climate change and the spread of misinformation and disinformation.
“He said ECOWAS will continue to dialogue with Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger to maintain unity and will convene a Special Extra-ordinary Summit on the future of the Community,” Ngelale revealed in the statement.
The statement was titled ‘Sixth mid-year meeting of the AU: President Tinubu addresses African leaders on the status of ECOWAS, highlights achievements and challenges.
Tinubu also revealed that the bloc allocated at least $14m to counterterrorism and humanitarian efforts in the most affected member-states.
He said ECOWAS is exploring other funding options for its $2.6bn Standby Force.
According to Ngelale, the Nigerian leader told his counterparts that “The Community has activated a Standby Force to counter-terrorism and will continue to explore funding options.”
He affirmed that ECOWAS had been supporting member states to enhance electoral and governance processes, and recently deployed Election Observation Missions to Senegal and Togo – both of which elections were adjudged to be peaceful, transparent, and fair.
He equally highlighted the facilitation of the signing of an Agreement for National Unity in Sierra Leone, noting that the sub-regional body will continue to work with stakeholders in the country to implement the provisions of the Agreement.
The President disclosed that consultations are ongoing to revise the ECOWAS 2001 Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.
On economic integration, President Tinubu said ECOWAS has implemented activities to consolidate the free trade area, customs union, and common market.
“We supported six Member States in ratifying the WTO Fisheries Subsidies Agreement, and thirteen Member States have ratified the AFCFTA agreement.
“The ECOWAS interconnected System for the Management of Goods in Transit is also operational in twelve Member States,” the President stated.
Detailing the efforts on education, he said 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 harmonising 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,” the ECOWAS Chairman stated.
Foregrounding the progress on energy, mines, and agriculture, President Tinubu said ECOWAS is advancing electrification efforts in The Gambia, Guinea Bissau, and Mali through the ECOWAS-Regional Electricity Access Project.
“It is also implementing the Regional Off-Grid Electricity Access Project. 32 Solar Off Grid SMEs have been approved, including nine SMEs led by women.
“A total of $3m will be disbursed to finance the SMEs. More than 400 SMEs in 13 countries were trained in 2023 and 2024.
“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,” he explained.
Within the period under review, Tinubu said 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 has approved the instruments to operationalize the Regional Fund for Agriculture and Food.
“A Regional Food Security was developed to achieve self-sufficiency in rice production,” he added.
Furthermore, Tinubu said ECOWAS’ 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,” the President said.
On other ECOWAS institutions, the President revealed that the Sixth Legislature of the ECOWAS Parliament elected its first female President, the Right Honourable Maimunatu Ibrahim from Togo, and that the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice reviewed fifteen new cases, held 33 court sessions, and delivered 11 judgments.
He also reported the new developments in the AU’s Inter-Regional Economic Communities.
“Finally, Your Excellencies, I am happy to report that the ECOWAS Commission has assumed the rotating Chairmanship of the Inter-REC platform since February this year.
“Earlier this year, the ECOWAS Commission hosted the East African Community and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, to exchange views on various issues and review best practices.
“We will continue to collaborate with all AU regional communities and mechanisms in order to strengthen our continental integration,” the President concluded.
On the margins of the AU meeting, President Tinubu held a bilateral meeting with President Ismail Guelleh of Djibouti.
President Guelleh emphasised the importance of Nigeria’s role as a leader in West Africa and the continent.
He appealed for Nigeria’s support on development concerns and common challenges in his country.
President Tinubu and President Guelleh agreed to continue to work together to advance bilateral interests.
Conceptualised in 2017, the Mid-Year Coordination Meeting is the principal forum for the AU and Regional Economic Communities to align their work and coordinate the implementation of the continental integration agenda, replacing the June/July summits.
It is a meeting between the Bureau of the AU Assembly and Regional Economic Communities, with the participation of the Chairpersons of RECs, the AU Commission and Regional Mechanisms.
This year’s meeting was convened under the AU theme on Education, “Educate and Skill Africa for the 21st Century”.