Abuja, 9^th November 2017. In furtherance of its integration drive, the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has signed a cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the government of Switzerland.

The signing ceremony which was carried out at the ECOWAS Commission Headquarters, Abuja, Nigeria, on the 9^th of November 2017, is a consummation of the letter of intent earlier drafted on the 17^th of March 2017 on the subject matter.

By the Plan of Action of the MoU, the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) of the Swiss Confederation and the ECOWAS Commission on the basis of the amicable relations between them commits to greater cooperation in various fields such as peace and security, regional economic integration and migration.

Appending his signature to the document, the ECOWAS Commission President Marcel de Souza acceded to the stated position that there exists a common will to strengthen the existing relationship with Switzerland in the identified areas with a view to optimising their level of collaboration.

Both sides also restated their position to put their current cooperation framework in proper perspectives and to share information that is of mutual interest while consolidating on the gains of their partnership.

The Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Switzerland in Nigeria Mrs Anne-Beatrice Bullinger signed the MoU on behalf of the Swiss government.