On the advocacy tour of the National Early Warning and Response Mechanism, to the five implementing pilot countries, (Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali and Burkina Faso) the Director of the ECOWAS Early Warning, Dr. Gueye Abdou Lat, on behalf of the Commissioner Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Hajia Halima Ahmed, visited Mali on 16-19 October, 2016. On his visit to H.E. the Prime Minister of Mali, Modibo Keita, led by the Special Representative of the ECOWAS Commission President to Mali, Ambassador Aboudou Cheaka Touré, on October 18, 2016, the Director provided a comprehensive briefing on the status of implementation of the project and presented the key challenges met in that country, seeking his Excellencies intervention so as to meet the deadlines of end of 2016 for the full operationalization of the national centre.

It would be recalled that on December 2015, Council of Ministers approved the implementation of the project and tasked the directorate therefrom to work closely with authorities in the five countries towards the signing of a presidential decree/executive order for the creation of the national centre for early warning and response in each Member State. Mali was the first Member State to do so, and in early May 2016, a standard building was allocated to host the centre.  H.E.M. Modibo Keita, Prime Minister of Mali with Amb.

Aboudou Cheaka Touré and Dr. Gueye Abdou Lat

Following the fruitful meeting of 18 October 2016, the following announcement was made on 25^th October 2016:

1. The amount of 126 876 708 francs CFA was made available by the Government of Mali for the restoration of the building dedicated to the National Centre.
2. A decree formally establishing the Task Force was signed by H.E. the Prime Minister. It will be recalled that the Task Force role is to facilitate and coordinate the creation of the National Centre. Its members are appointed by the various key Ministers of the Crisis Statutory Board supervising the Centre.