Abuja 15th November 2017. The government of the Federal Republic of Germany is parleying with the leadership of the ECOWAS Commission on the enhancement of its support for the various integration programmes of the community.

The series of consultations on development cooperation holding on the margins of the Administration and Finance Committee (AFC) Meeting from the 14^th to 15^th of November 2017, in Abuja, Nigeria, involves the normal negotiations with ECOWAS regarding Germany’s bilateral support.

Through the meetings, both parties review their joint commitment covering the identified areas of political and economic integration which collectively carries a 28 Million Euros support package.

The ECOWAS Commissioner for Human Resources Mr. Joao Monteiro expressed the willingness of the ECOWAS Commission to cooperate with the German government and its development agencies towards the attainment of the set objectives for a complete transformation of the ECOWAS administrative set up and financial efficiency.

“We need to open new windows of cooperation to aid our operations with regards to our SAP (Systems Applications, Products), governance, manpower planning, improved recruitment system and the reform process generally” The Commissioner said.

Commissioner Monteiro was flanked by the Human Recourses Directors in charge of Operations (Mrs. Amelie Silviane Kone) as well as Employment Performance and Development (Dr. Yaouza Ouro-Sama) respectively.

The Directors made constructive inputs and deepened the areas of cooperation to include filling manpower, planning and recruitment gaps, fructification of the idea of having a human centered organization, enhanced business partners model, change management, capacity building, staff morale and mobility as well as technical support for the establishment of a social plan, among others.

While also meeting with the German delegation, the ECOWAS Commission’s Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security (PAPS) Mrs. Halima Ahmed gave a rundown of the relevant programmes of the Department including its normative frameworks.

The various Directors in charge of the prgrammes, covering good governance, election monitoring, peace support, conflict resolution, early warning initiatives as well as small arms including Dr. Remi Ajibewa (Political Affairs) and Dr. Abdou Lat Gueye (Early Warning) took turns to give updates of their activities while stressing the need to strengthen ECOWAS institutions.

The leader of the eleven-man German delegation and Director Sub-Saharan Africa, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) Dr. Stefan Oswald highlighted the building up of regional metrology, health sector improvements and energy efficiency and improved power utilities in the region as the priority areas of the discussions.

“We try our level best. We are ready to continue to support the programmes of the various departments. Swift conclusion of the government agreements as well as implementation or financing agreements is therefore of utmost importance”   He added.

Other areas of development cooperation over which consultations are being held include: Organizational development of the ECOWAS Commission, trade customs and tax harmonization, political affairs, peace and security, transparency and wide-ranging technical support systems.

The German delegation is also meeting with ECOWAS Commission’s Commissioners, Executive officers and Directors in charge of Trade, Energy, West African Health Organisation (WAHO), as well as Agriculture, Environment and Water Resources.

The delegation had earlier conferred with the Vice President of the ECOWAS Commission Mr. Edward Singhatey as well as the ECOWAS Commissioner for Industries and Private Sector Promotion Mr. Kalilou Traore.

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