The ECOWAS Commission hosts the first Steering Committee Meeting of the “Institutional Support to ECOWAS” (ISE) Programme

After a successful project launch event in March 2022 and a Technical Committee Meeting held on 21 April 2022, the first Steering Committee Meeting of the Institutional Support to ECOWAS (ISE) Programme was held virtually on 17 May 2022. The meeting was co-chaired by Mrs. Halima Ahmed, Commissioner of Finance, ECOWAS Commission and Mrs. Cécile Tassin-Pelzer, Head of Cooperation, European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS.

The Institutional Support to ECOWAS (ISE) Programme is jointly funded by the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) with an overall budget of EUR 4.85 million. Since its commencement in December 2020, it has been supporting both the ECOWAS Commission and EBID in preparation for the certification to the pillars in order to directly manage funds provided by the European Union.

Madam Halima Ahmed during her opening remarks, thanked the EU and German Cooperation for the support and asked for continued financial efforts to achieve the objectives.

Mrs. Cécile Tassin-Pelzer indicated that ECOWAS is well on its way to achieve ‘’the main objective of the programme which is to contribute to the transparent and accountable management of both donor and ECOWAS internal resources, through compliance with international standards’’. She also encouraged the ECOWAS Commission to integrate the activities of the RAO Support Unit within its structure.

This important meeting was also marked by the presence of the Auditor General of the ECOWAS Institutions Dr. Alfred Braimah who also welcomed the efforts made so far in the framework of the EU pillar assessment.

The ISE Programme contributes to providing strategic support for the implementation of ECOWAS-EU Partnership to support institutional reforms. Specifically, in strengthening the ECOWAS Commission and EBID in the preparation for the EU Pillars Assessment.

For more information about the ISE Programme, please visit the following link: https://www.raosupportcellecowas.com/post/institutional-support-to-ecowas-specific-objective-1-and-3