West Africa military chiefs discuss threats to Liberia polls
1 day ago


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MONROVIA — Military and police chiefs from six west African countries met in Liberia on Tuesday to assess security threats to the country's second post-war elections next month.

The security bosses from Burkina Faso, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria and Senegal met behind closed doors, in a meeting following a mini-summit by their heads of state in Abuja last week, an AFP correspondent said.

They were expected to release a communique after the meeting.

As Liberia heads to the crucial election on October 11, seen as a litmus test of its post-war democracy, security concerns are high after Ivory Coast election violence left weapons and mercenaries circulating between the neighbouring countries.

Liberian authorities last month announced a seizure of a "worrisome" amount of arms and ammunition near the border with Ivory Coast, which is still recovering from a bloody post-election crisis.

During the Abuja meeting, the presidents "urged the United Nations to intensify joint UNOCI-UNMIL (peacekeeping missions) monitoring and control of the common border zone between the two countries".

They expressed concerns over the presence of armed groups which may be "used to perpetrate violence and disrupt the elections".

Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is seeking a second term in office, as the still fragile west African nation recovers from successive civil wars between 1989 and 2003.

Hundreds of thousands of refugees poured into the country earlier this year during the four-month post-election dispute in Ivory Coast in which 3,000 were estimated to have been killed.

Copyright © 2011 AFP
...

Guinea: President Accuses Senegal and Ganbia Over Coup Plot
12 September 2011

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Dakar — Alpha Condé of Guinea has accused neighbouring Senegal and Gambia of involvement in an assassination attempt against him in July.

In an interview with the Senegalese international "Sud FM" radio, President Condé explained that the plan to kill him and overthrow his government was masterminded by an Guinean opposition politician.

He said both the Senegalese and Gambian governments were "fully aware" of the plot which was carried out at the Hotel Méridien Président in Dakar but kept it away from him.

"Everything was planned in Dakar" he said and accused Mr Amadou Oury Bah whom he said was on the run and the number two man of the leading 'Union des forces démocratiques de Guinée' of being the main protagonist.


Discovered the plan

President Condé told the radio that he had not wanted to arrest Mr Bah when he discovered the plan but rather, gave free reins to the justice ministry.

He explained that it was following the issue of a warrant of arrest against Mr Bah that he absconded the country and is currently living abroad.

"I have clearly explained to the Senegalese and Gambian Ministers of Foreign Affairs that the plot was floated at the Méridien hotel and there were frequent travels by the culprits between their two capitals and which could not have been done without their knowledge," he said.

Temba Matthew
AllAfrica.com

^^
Another lunatic paranoid african leader.
He’s more worried over his own ass than over his countrymen’s future.

ECOWAS supports return of AfDB HQs to Abidjan
03/02/2012

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The ECOWAS Commission supports ongoing efforts by the government of Cote d’Ivoire for the return of the headquarters of the African Development Bank (AfDB) to Abidjan, following its temporary relocation to Tunis over the political crisis in the country.

An ECOWAS Commission statement obtained by PANA here Friday quoted Commission President James Victor Gbeho as telling a delegation from the Bank’s office in Nigeria, who called on him on Wednesday, that ECOWAS member states were in favour of the return of the headquarters, following the return of peace to Cote d’Ivoire.

Addressing the delegation, led by the Bank’s Resident Representative Ousmane Dore, President Gbeho said the Commission was open to cooperation with the bank in developing the region’s infrastructure to make it more attractive as an investment destination and also in education and health care delivery ssectors.

The Commission, he said, is working hard to address the issue of the absorption of the bank’s facilities, adding that a Shenghen-type visa system for non-ECOWAS citizens is also in the pipeline to help stimulate foreign investment and tourism in the region.

In his remarks, Mr. Dore highlighted the low absorption of the bank’s facilities to the Commission, explaining that the bank had largely decentralized its operations in the continent as part of efforts to improve the efficiency of its facilities and bring the bank nearer to the people.

On the return of the bank headquarters to Abidjan, he said the bank was conscious that this would ultimately happen and was already making efforts towards the renovation of the building.

He said the bank also plans to focus on infrastructure development in line with its new transformation agenda.

Earlier, President Gbeho held a separate meeting with another delegation from the bank’s headquarters, led by Mr. N’guessan Kouassi, who confirmed that the bank was providing about US$1.9 million to support the region’s aviation sector, which should be utilized before the end of 2012.


source: Pana...

I read somewhere Chad wants to joining ECOWAS?
I wonder how will that work?

I read somewhere Chad wants to joining ECOWAS?
I wonder how will that work?

Never heard anything about that ?
They are part of The Economic Community of Central African States.

Chad in Central Africa, is nothing short of funny.....! .

Why move AfDB's HQ back to Abidjan? Why not another West African city? Dakar & Accra seem to be good contenders.

Never heard anything about that ?
They are part of The Economic Community of Central African States.


West Africa: Chad Seeks FG's (Federal Government of Nigeria) Support on ECOWAS Membership

1 December 2011

Chadian President Idris Derby has solicited the support of President Goodluck Jonathan towards achieving his country's desire of becoming a permanent member of ECOWAS.

Derby made the disclosure while addressing State House Correspondents shortly after a closed-door meeting with Jonathan at the Presidential Villa.

The Chadian President, who spoke through an interpreter, said that one of the key points of his meeting with Jonathan was on how his country could be a full member of the regional economic bloc.

"Other aspect which we discussed is that Chad wants to be part of ECOWAS.

In the closed discussion with President Jonathan, I urged him for his support so that Chad can be fully part of ECOWAS," he said.

Chad was granted ECOWAS observer status at the community's 39th Ordinary Session held in Nigeria in March and chaired by Jonathan.

Derby also called on the Nigerian Government to use its vantage position in the continent to lobby for support of the international community towards safeguarding Lake Chad from extinction.

"We urged President Jonathan that as he is going to host the Lake Chad Basin Commission's (LCBC) Summit, to lobby for international support, so that advocacy can be launched to safeguard Lake Chad. NAN

http://allafrica.com/stories/201112210289.html

I don't want them in Ecowas.


And Niger needs to be kicked out of Ecowas.

^^ Lmao......... Why?

^^Some Boko Haram members coming from Niger?...Or maybe they're just not of use being in the bloc?
I don't want them in Ecowas.


And Niger needs to be kicked out of Ecowas.

Do all of the members of Chad's admission before it's able to join?
Never heard anything about that ?
They are part of The Economic Community of Central African States.

And like the ECCAS is getting anywhere.:lol: Makes since for Chad to want to be apart of ECOWAS. Larger bloc, chances of greater investment from countries in the bloc, and greater infrastructure (obviously not great but definitely better than Central Africa's)....

West Africa: Chad Seeks FG's (Federal Government of Nigeria) Support on ECOWAS Membership

Thanks Arinze.
I doubt the Chadian people see themselves as West-Africans though.

And Niger needs to be kicked out of Ecowas.
I dont see why they need to be kicked out.

^^
I don't know why either, and it's not like Nigeria can't just close borders temporarily in situations like now. But no one can say Niger is not West African.

It's a stretch, Chad may border Nigeria but its not really West African historically, unless you count trading routes. Cameroon could make a better case for admission than they could. But if there is any benefit from them joining, why not? Maybe if Chad is a member it would be easier to get assistance from them on terrorism, maybe not monetarily but information and etc.

Tbite if Nigeria had secure borders and an accurate count of who is Nigerian, and not Cameroonian, Chadian, or Nigerien it would help with terrorism. I think Nigeria should start a national ID program, it would be part census part building of information on the country.

Ecowas is not West Africa.

They can be part of West Africa without being part of Ecowas just like you can be part of Africa without being part of the AU.....i.e Morocco

I don't want Niger and Chad in Ecowas......but then again I guess, alienating them in itself furthers the problem. Seeing as they are in such close proximity to us, I guess we have no choice but to hope for their economic success.

It is the same situation even within countries, whereby one section can drag another section down. I guess for proximity's sake, they should not be excluded from Ecowas.

BTW I never gave my reasons, but my reasons go beyond just terrorism.

BTW the Boko Haram phenomenon is nothing new, these mercenaries have been killing in Nigeria for decades. Boko Haram is simply a new manifestation of an old problem. And yeah like I said, for me this goes well beyond terrorism.

There is a general situation of institutional incapacity which results in cross border problems in various areas including economic and social areas.

Nigeria in itself is not exactly a good country and Nigeria in turn creates the same aforementioned problems for these countries, but going forward, in the event that Nigeria in itself is stabilized, these countries such as Niger and Chad will have no benefit to countries such as Nigeria and Ghana.

However like I said earlier, it becomes a matter of proximity, even with strengthened institutions such social, economic and environmental cross border problems cannot be curtailed entirely. Look at the situation in America for example, whereby Central American countries undermine the world's largest economy. So this will go far beyond our strengths and weaknesses in the long run.

I believe that countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, Sierra Leone, Gambia, Senegal etc will mature and develop and stabilize a lot earlier than the more distressed countries such as Niger and Chad, so I believe that whatever input that they may have economically will not be seen for decades to come, so really it all comes down to proximity for me. It will come down to the consequences rather than the opportunities.

Unless we intend to have an active political discourse and influence with these countries, whereby we can direct a lot of the outcomes. For example we can set the pace, we can harness their resources etc.

Ecowas is not West Africa.

They can be part of West Africa without being part of Ecowas just like you can be part of Africa without being part of the AU.....i.e Morocco

I don't want Niger and Chad in Ecowas......but then again I guess, alienating them in itself furthers the problem. Seeing as they are in such close proximity to us, I guess we have no choice but to hope for their economic success.

It is the same situation even within countries, whereby one section can drag another section down. I guess for proximity's sake, they should not be excluded from Ecowas.

BTW I never gave my reasons, but my reasons go beyond just terrorism.

BTW the Boko Haram phenomenon is nothing new, these mercenaries have been killing in Nigeria for decades. Boko Haram is simply a new manifestation of an old problem. And yeah like I said, for me this goes well beyond terrorism.

There is a general situation of institutional incapacity which results in cross border problems in various areas including economic and social areas.

Nigeria in itself is not exactly a good country and Nigeria in turn creates the same aforementioned problems for these countries, but going forward, in the event that Nigeria in itself is stabilized, these countries such as Niger and Chad will have no benefit to countries such as Nigeria and Ghana.

However like I said earlier, it becomes a matter of proximity, even with strengthened institutions such social, economic and environmental cross border problems cannot be curtailed entirely. Look at the situation in America for example, whereby Central American countries undermine the world's largest economy. So this will go far beyond our strengths and weaknesses in the long run.

I believe that countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, Sierra Leone, Gambia, Senegal etc will mature and develop and stabilize a lot earlier than the more distressed countries such as Niger and Chad, so I believe that whatever input that they may have economically will not be seen for decades to come, so really it all comes down to proximity for me. It will come down to the consequences rather than the opportunities.

Unless we intend to have an active political discourse and influence with these countries, whereby we can direct a lot of the outcomes. For example we can set the pace, we can harness their resources etc.

bold lol what nonsense, central America has done no such thing.

Morocco is not in the AU because of Western Sahara.

WAS part of ECOWAS, stands for west African states so one would assume you have to be in the region to qualify.

As Nigeria modernizes its going to learn the same lesson the US has learned, people will migrate to places with higher economic prospects. So it would be in Nigeria's best interest to invest in its poorer neighbors to prevent problems like terrorism from having a safe haven. And that in the grand scheme of things, it's better for local investment to have a foothold than China and America and Europe.

^^
I don't know why either, and it's not like Nigeria can't just close borders temporarily in situations like now. But no one can say Niger is not West African.

It's a stretch, Chad may border Nigeria but its not really West African historically, unless you count trading routes. Cameroon could make a better case for admission than they could. But if there is any benefit from them joining, why not? Maybe if Chad is a member it would be easier to get assistance from them on terrorism, maybe not monetarily but information and etc.

Tbite if Nigeria had secure borders and an accurate count of who is Nigerian, and not Cameroonian, Chadian, or Nigerien it would help with terrorism. I think Nigeria should start a national ID program, it would be part census part building of information on the country.

:cheers:

Apparently, is T bite could, He would have expelled 3/4 of all member states.

bold lol what nonsense, central America has done no such thing.

Morocco is not in the AU because of Western Sahara.

WAS part of ECOWAS, stands for west African states so one would assume you have to be in the region to qualify.

As Nigeria modernizes its going to learn the same lesson the US has learned, people will migrate to places with higher economic prospects. So it would be in Nigeria's best interest to invest in its poorer neighbors to prevent problems like terrorism from having a safe haven. And that in the grand scheme of things, it's better for local investment to have a foothold than China and America and Europe.

undermine
verb
1. weaken, sabotage, subvert, compromise, disable, debilitate, disempower They are accused of trying to undermine the government.

Yes Central America has done that.

Are you seriously not aware of this? And what you are saying is exactly what I said in my post. I said we must be weary of their instabiltiy and obscurity, due to our close proximity afterall we have already been exposed to these problems for decades.

And yes it is not nonsense, go and do the research. It is an impossibility, the things that you are referring to. Look at what happens in America, look at what happens in South America. Do not base your opinions purely on theories but also delve into the realm of reality.

Nigeria cannot and will never be able to prevent the exposure of these more backward countries, so as a result of these consequences I agree that we cannot alienate them, but for me that is the only reason. ''Other than that, we have no business with them in Ecowas or in anything else.

They are a liability and will continue to be such for the foreseeable future.

The US has supported dictators in the region as well as exploited the region through American conglomerates. Get your head out of your ass and stop seeing everything in black and white terms. What Central American government or political group has done half the stuff the US has done in the region:|:?

You are really not trying to call other countries "backwards" when you know for a fact Africa as a whole is looked at backwards and un-cultured place.

And in your blind fanaticism you forget to realize that we are all into this together. If Nigeria develops and leaves its neighbors behind, do you expect people from other nations not to immigrate? They do it now, watch the documentary Welcome to Lagos, people from Benin, Togo, and etc flock to Lagos for jobs. Add in the fact that ECOWAS allows visa free travel to member states, people will come for economic opportunities. And many of those folks will be in competition for jobs with Nigerians, how do you thing that situation will lead to the same kind of backlash Americans have towards immigrants?

The other part to this is that if you do not develop as a region and say Nigeria is able to chase Boko Haram out of the country, where will they go to? Chad. Cameroon. Niger. If these countries remain undeveloped do you think they will be much help to combat terrorism? In fact they may use these countries to rebuild and gain strength and have proxy wars (like they are currently doing now, the come through the NE part of Nigeria attack and flee back into Chad).

Look at Northern Nigeria, Boko Haram is a precursor of what will happen if Nigeria continues to neglect areas of importance.

Three political parties want Mauritania to re-join ECOWAS
April 19, 2012

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NOUAKCHOTT- Elated at the key roles played by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the successes it has achieved in the sub-region, three parties from the ruling majority coalition in Mauritania on Thursday urged their government to re-join the 15-member regional bloc.

Mauritania withdrew from ECOWAS in 1999 to join the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU).

’ECOWAS plays key roles in strengthening democracy, the fight against military coups and economic integration in the region. In addition, several Mauritanian nationals are living in member countries of the organization,’ Mustapha Ould Abiedrahmane, the chair of the Democratic Renewal (RD), said.

Speaking at a press conference, Abiedrahmane said that Mauritania could only play an active role in finding a solution to the Malian crisis after re-joining ECOWAS.

ECOWAS is currently made up of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.


source: Pana
^^
I support Mauritanian rejoining Ecowas. We need to be in Ecowas and UMA.
The part that says ''left Ecowas to join Maghreb Union'' is bull though.
Mauritania is one of the founders of the Maghreb Union in 1989.

Wise move.........

Wise move.........
If it wasnt for west-african nations Mauritania wouldn't have existed since Morocco claimed Mauritania until 1969 and all Arab league member states except Tunisia decided to support Morocco's claim. It were the west-african neighbours who lobbied for international integration of Mauritania.

Ecowas seems to be a stronger more active union that can provide maurtania with help when needed and boost maurtanias status as a nation that actively helps its allies. Amu is a nest of enemies none of them flinched during the arab spring for their brother nation. A few have even gone to war with each other. Id like to see cameroon and gabon join as well

PRESIDENT MAHAMA PARTICIPATES IN EXTRAORDINARY ECOWAS CONFAB IN ABIDJAN
ABIDJAN, Jan 20,(NNN- GNA) –Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama has joined his colleague Heads of State in an extraordinary session of the Authority of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

Some other Heads of State at the Summit included; President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria, Blaise Campaore of Burkina Faso and Yayi Boni of Benin. Read more (http://namnewsnetwork.org/v3/read.php?id=MjE4NzMw)

Lagos-Abidjan road construction begins in 2014
2013-03-03


Abuja- The construction of the Lagos to Abidjan expressway is set to begin in 2014, Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan disclosed during a meeting with investors on the sidelines of his state visit to Abidjan on Saturday.

Jonathan said the construction of the road was imperative to enhance the free movement of goods and people and reduce the encumbrances currently posed by local customs and police to businessmen.

Jonathan said the construction of the road was dear to the heart of the ECOWAS leaders and disclosed that there was a meeting of the leaders of Nigeria, Togo, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana on how to actualise the project.

``We have charged the Ivorian Minister of Infrastructure and the Nigerian Minister of Works to work with the ECOWAS Commission that within two weeks they must come up with a blueprint and preliminary information on the project that we will discuss in Addis Ababa in May when we go for AU meeting

``This is because we want a situation where the desk-work will be completed this year and by next year, we want physical construction.

``We believe that when we have this express road the issue of movement interference by Customs and Police will be minimized because that will be an ECOWAS road.

``The laws regulating the use of the road will not be the laws regulating that of the roads in Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire or Ghana. It will be an international standard and everything will be done in such a way that movement of goods services and so on will not be interfered with by local restriction’’ the Nigerian leader said.

According to Jonathan the projects would not be financed with public funds but by development partners and some viable banks which would re-coup their fund through tariffs and tow fees.

``It is a viable project that banks and businessmen within and outside the region will key into and which will generate enough money in short time” Jonathan added.

By his reckoning, the project would be the building blocks to the eventual integration of the region as it linked the five countries with a population of about 236 million people.


source: APA

:applause:

Implementation plan for Abidjan-Lagos highway
26/04/2013


ECOWAS ministers discuss implementation plan for Abidjan-Lagos highway - ECOWAS Ministers of Works/Road Infrastructure, Transport, Finance and Justice from Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria and Togo, rose from a one-day meeting here Monday, agreeing on an implementation plan for the construction of a proposed highway linking Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, to Lagos, Nigeria.


Under the arrangement, a supra-national agency will be set up to manage the project implementation phase to ensure uniformity in approach and standards for the road whose development will be regionally coordinated.

Quoting a statement from the ECOWAS Commission here, PANA reported that the ministers, whose meeting was in response to a recent directive by the Heads of State of the five countries affected by the project to further improve the Lagos-Abidjan corridor, also considered issues relating to project preparation and development as well as modalities for the mobilization of funds to ensure a speedy development of the project.

They also discussed the initial assessment studies, feasibility studies and design plan, including detailed design cost and development of an investment plan and a funding-transaction support arrangement.

Also considered were the institutional framework consisting of a memorandum of understanding, and a joint development agreement and/or international project agreement, including highway development and management strategy.

In order to address the legal dimensions of the project, the ministers recommended the development of an appropriate legal framework to accord the corridor a regional status to prevent obstacles imposed by national laws and policies.

In addition, they agreed to consider available options for the involvement of the private sector in project preparation, development and implementation; as well as ensure the implementation of the adopted ECOWAS Regional Supplementary Act on axle load limitation and control to safeguard investments made in constructing the roads.

They also proposed the inclusion of corridor management and road governance components to ensure a holistic solution to the free movement of persons, goods and services along the corridor, which covers a total distance of 1,028 kilometres and carries more than 75 per cent of trade in West Africa.

The ministers’ report will be presented to the Presidents of the concerned Member States on 26 May.

Also represented at the meeting were the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Finance Corporation (AFC), the European Union Delegation, the Spanish Cooperation, the Japan International Agency (JICA) and the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Organization (ALCO).


source: Pana...