The ECOWAS Administration and Finance Committee (AFC) has ended its 16^th session in Abuja after addressing wide ranging issues on regional integration including the annual budget of the Commission and other Community Institutions.

The meeting, which ended on 7^th November 2014 focused on the status of implementation of the Community Levy Protocol, the financial situation of the Community in relation to the 2015 Consolidated Budget of the Community institutions and the special programmes.

The Community Institutions include the Inter-Governmental Action Group Against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA), West African Health Organization (WAHO), the ECOWAS Parliament and the Community Court of Justice.

The delegates also reviewed the implementation status of the tasks assigned to the structures and also discussed the Financial Controller’s 2014 Interim Report with a number of recommendations.

Addressing the opening session on December 1, the President of the ECOWAS Commission H.E. Kadré Désiré Ouédraogo, appealed to Member States to pay up their Community Levy to enable the organisation discharge its functions successfully.

He described the Community Levy – 0.5% of duty charged on goods imported into the Community from third countries – as the backbone of funding for the organisation’s programmes and activities.

The Chairperson of the 16^th AFC session and Head of ECOWAS National Unit, Ghana, Mrs. Sena Siaw-Boateng, thanked the delegates for their rich contributions, and the Community institutions, for the quality of their documents.

Directorate of Communications