The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Strategic Planning Coordinating Committee (SPCC) is holding its eleventh (11^th) meeting in Lagos from the 29^th to 30^th of August, 2016. The meeting which was organized with support from the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) opened today with the objectives to discuss the finalization of the strategic action programme of all Institutions and Agencies, discuss and review the implementation arrangements for the Community Strategic Framework (CSF) among others.

His Excellency, Edward Singhatey, Vice President of the ECOWAS Commission and the Chairman of the SPCC in his welcome address congratulated the Committee for the 70% implementation of the 2011 – 2015 Regional Strategic Plan (RSP). Vice President Singhatey emphasized the need for cohesion in the implementation of the 2016 – 2020 Community Strategic Framework (CSF).

The CSF was adopted by the ECOWAS Council of Ministers in December 2015 and is already being implemented; as the 2016 Community Budget was based on the CSF. All ECOWAS Institutions/Agencies are expected to draw their programmes from this framework. The CSF will ensure congruence of purpose and consistency across programmes and across all Institutions/Agencies.