ECOWAS: Major News Thread

[Hadrami]

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



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.

[Naijaborn]

Wise move.........

[Hadrami]

Originally Posted by Naijaborn

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.

[HerachioBlo]

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

[hakz2007]

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

[Hadrami]

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

[Naijaborn]

[Hadrami]

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

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