Lomé, 8 July 2018. The 40^th Ordinary Session of the Mediation and Security Council (MSC) of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) at ministerial level, came to a close on 7 July 2018 in Lomé, Togo, with a number of important recommendations on the political and security situation in the Community.

The meeting provided the occasion for participants to consider a number of matters including the political process in some ECOWAS Member States such as Burkina Faso, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Togo.

Concerning the political and security situation in the different countries, members of Council made recommendations to the authorities of these countries, as well as to the ECOWAS Commission. The efficient implementation of these recommendations should lead to peace, security and development in the Community area.

In addition to security matters, they also discussed the elections and terrorism in the West African region.

Considering terrorism in the Community and the Lake Chad basin, they strongly condemned the terrorist acts perpetrated in these areas and reaffirmed the determination of Member States and ECOWAS Commission to contain the scourge.

Furthermore, they urged ECOWAS to implement the decisions adopted by the Mediation and Security Council at previous sessions and praised the initiative to convene in Lomé on 30 July 2018, the forthcoming Joint Summit of ECOWAS and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) on peace, security, radicalisation and violent extremism.

On elections in Member States, the Mediation and Security Council called for increased trust among political actors, citizens and the bodies responsible for conducting the elections.

The Lomé meeting also listened to a briefing on the National Early Warning Centres in ECOWAS. It discussed the issue of transhumance, operationalisation of the ECOWAS Multinational Maritime Coordination Centres, as well as the establishment of maritime zones F and G.

Following the discussions, the Ministers recommended that the relevant ECOWAS Member States sign multilateral agreements for the establishment of the zones, aimed at eliminating illegal activities in the West African maritime area.

They called for the signing of legal instruments on the establishment, organisation and functioning of the Multinational Maritime Coordination Centres in zones E, F and G.

Participants also requested that Member States fast-track the signing of the headquarters agreements between the Commission and Ghana on the one hand, and the ECOWAS Commission and Cabo Verde on the other hand.

Recommendations were made by participants in the area of transhumance. These concern the regulatory framework, security and local governance, transformation of the livestock sector, as well as sensitization and communication.

MSC, which brings together the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defence of ECOWAS Member States, also listened to a presentation on the report of the 28^th MSC meeting at ambassadorial level, which took place in Abuja, Nigeria on 20 June 2018.

The report was presented by Léné Dimban, Ambassador of Togo to Nigeria and ECOWAS and Chair of MSC at ambassadorial level.

The meeting was conducted behind closed doors and was chaired by the Togolese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and African Integration and Chair of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council at ministerial level, Prof Robert Dussey.

The MSC Chair had at his side the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Jean-Claude Kassi Brou.