At the invitation of H.E Dr Sidi Ould Tah, Director General of BADEA, a delegation from the ECOWAS Commission undertook a working visit to BADEA in Khartoum, Sudan on 8 and 9 November 2016. The delegation was led by H.E Marcel A. de Souza, ECOWAS Commission President and comprised Mr Bashir Ifo, President of the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), Mr Mamadou Traore, ECOWAS Commissioner for Macroeconomic Policy, Mr MacDonald Saye Goanue, EBID Director for Research and Strategic Planning and Mr Franck W. Brathier, Executive Assistant to the ECOWAS Commission President.

During discussions, the ECOWAS Commission President made a brief presentation of ECOWAS – its vision, objectives and the Community Development Programme (CDP) alongside a number of operations and project ideas, including:

• Transformation of the Community Computer Centre (CCC) into an ECOWAS Centre on Training and Capacity Building for Development;
• Strengthening the financial capacity of the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID);
• Development of rural electrification through solar energy in ECOWAS Member States;
• Support for the implementation of the strategic guidelines of the ECOWAS Industrial Policy;
• Support for the construction of appropriate referral hospitals for the treatment of cancer and other diseases; and
• Signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

Transformation of the Community Computer Centre (CCC) into an ECOWAS Centre on Training and Capacity Building for Development

 

The aim of the ECOWAS Commission is to create a centre for development with the responsibility of building the capacity of public officers from ECOWAS Member States and the Commission in the area of planning, implementation, monitoring, assessment and impact analysis of national and regional policies on economic and social development.

In that respect, it was agreed that the transformation of the CCC will be considered in two phases:

– Phase 1: BADEA funding for the services of an expert to the tune of USD 15,000, for the transformation of the CCC into an ECOWAS Centre on Training and Capacity Building for Development, based in Lome, Togo,

– Phase 2: BADEA funding for a feasibility study on the construction of the ECOWAS Centre for Training and Capacity Building. To that end, the ECOWAS Commission was encouraged to submit to BADEA, a request accompanied by the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the study.

 

Strengthening the financial capacity of the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID)

In order to strengthen the financial capacity of EBID, it was decided that BADEA will conduct an immediate assessment of two separate lines of credit for EBID as follows:

– an initial credit line of USD 15 million to contribute to the funding of private sector projects,

– a second credit line of USD 30 million to provide funding for ECOWAS Member States’ imports from Arab countries.

In this connection, BADEA intends to submit two credit lines for EBID to its Board of Directors in December 2016.

In addition, EBID expressed its desire to see BADEA take a stake in its capital. EBID will make a request to BADEA in that regard.

Similarly, pending the consideration of a credit line to be lodged at EBID for the microfinance sector to help the fight against poverty, Member States may directly send their requests to BADEA which supports initiatives in this field.

 

Development of rural electrification through solar energy in ECOWAS Member States

The ECOWAS Commission would like to make mini-solar plants available to rural populations in the Community to increase access to electricity alongside encouraging production, conservation and processing of local agricultural products. The project is also expected to include a training component for the maintenance of these mini-plants.

In this respect, the ECOWAS Commission will soon submit to BADEA a request for a technical and economic feasibility study on rural electrification through solar energy in ECOWAS Member States.

Support for the implementation of the strategic guidelines of the ECOWAS Industrial Policy

Regarding this support, BADEA will examine the funding need expressed by the ECOWAS Commission for conducting a study on the implementation of the ECOWAS Industrial Policy’s strategic guidelines, including its impact on Member States, on the basis of their comparative advantages.

Support for the construction of appropriate referral health facilities for the treatment of cancer and other diseases  

In view of the negative impacts of epidemics such as haemorrhagic fevers (Ebola, Lassa, and others) on ECOWAS Member States’ populations as well as difficulties in treating cancer cases in the Community, BADEA is prepared to support ECOWAS Member States for the construction of appropriate referral health facilities.

Signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)

For the purposes of establishing a formal cooperation framework between the ECOWAS Commission and BADEA, the two institutions have agreed to prepare a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) as soon as possible.

In that regard, the ECOWAS Commission President thanked H.E. Dr Sidi Ould Tah, Director-General of BADEA, and his team for the generous hospitality accorded his delegation and invited him to the ECOWAS Commission in Abuja, Nigeria, at a date to be agreed upon later.

Finally, the two Parties welcomed the successful outcome of the visit.