The President of the ECOWAS Commission Marcel Alain De Souza has appealed to the management of Ecobank to ensure that a desirable level of service is rendered to ECOWAS institutions and staff as the regional organisation repositions itself for the challenges ahead. Receives

Conferring with the Managing Director of Ecobank, Nigeria Mr. Charles Kie and his team at the ECOWAS Commission in Abuja on the 21^st of April 2016, President De Souza said in recognition of the prime position of the bank among the financial institutions doing business with ECOWAS, it had become imperative that the bank takes a leading role in helping to achieve the on-going reforms meant to transit the community from an ECOWAS of states to an ECOWAS of the people.

The President intimated the Ecobank boss of a decision of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government in 2014 mandating the Commission to spread its banking activities to others financial institutions with the view of strengthening its financial base and taking full benefits of the liberalism in the sector to enhance the implementation of the Community’s programmes and projects.

He specifically requested the management of the bank to look into the issues of cumbersome funds transfer as well as the status of the commissions charged to ECOWAS staff and the possibility of having a comparable standard of operation (with regards to charges) with that of Ecobank in the republic of Benin.

The President who was flanked by the ECOWAS Commissioner for Finance Sesay Allieu, also discussed other matters for the information of the bank executives bordering on making ECOWAS the Commission live up to its financial responsibilities to its service providers among others.

Responding, Mr. Kie congratulated the ECOWAS Commission President on his appointment maintaining that as a prime financial partner, Ecobank would continue to work in close collaboration with the Commission in the discharge of its responsibilities to the people of West Africa.

Pledging the support of the bank for the leadership of the Commission and the other ECOWAS Institutions Mr Kie stressed that Ecobank wants “the strong relationship that has been on for years now to continue”

Giving words about positive things to come, the Ecobank boss noted that regardless of the fact that money market may be functioning in Nigeria in a way that is different from UEMOA countries such as the Republic of Benin, the operations format with ECOWAS is poised for review in line with the observations made by president De Souza.

President De Souza later received in audience, the first deputy speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament Hon, Lasun Sulaimon Yussuff to discuss how to strengthen the partnership between the ECOWAS Commission and the community parliament with a view of deriving mutual benefits from the enhanced powers of the Parliament and guarantee greater integration of the region.