Terrorism: ECOWAS to provide support for Burkina Faso, Mali security agencies — Tinubu 

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has decided to provide support for the security agencies of Burkina Faso and Mali to assist them in defending their territories from occupation by terrorists.

President Tinubu disclosed this at the Fifth Mid-Year Coordination Meeting (5thMYCM) of the African Union (AU), the Regional Economic Communities (RECs), the Regional Mechanisms (RMs), and the African Union Member-States, his Special Adviser on Special Duties, Communications and Strategy, Dele Alake confirmed in a statement. 

The ECOWAS Chairman appealed to international partners to assist in providing the necessary support that would ensure the restoration of democratic order in the Member-States.

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Speaking on trade, Tinubu said ECOWAS had achieved the Free Trade Area and was working on establishing the Customs Union and Common Market.

He further expressed concern about the low level of intra-community trade among member-states, noting that the European Union remains the major trading partner for the region, followed by Asia, North America, and the rest of Africa.

Highlighting efforts made by ECOWAS to consolidate the gains of its trade liberalization scheme and support the implementation of the AfCFTA, the Nigerian leader said the ECOWAS Commission had been assisting member-states in the negotiations, ratification, and implementation of the AfCFTA.

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He noted that thirteen [13] out of the fifteen [15] ECOWAS member states have ratified the agreement.

On the free movement of persons, he said ECOWAS had commenced action towards the implementation of the Harmonized Visa-Regime (ECOVISA) to facilitate the free movement of non-ECOWAS citizens.

President Tinubu reaffirmed that on regional infrastructure development, ECOWAS focuses on building regional infrastructure, including the Lagos-Abidjan Corridor Highway, to promote economic activities and integration.

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”The Feasibility and Preliminary Design and Studies show a significant investment cost of nearly US$15 billion for the whole highway with an average economic rate of return of 15% per annum. In the same vein, preparations are underway for the development of the other corridors, namely the Abidjan-Praia-Dakar,” he said.

He maintained that on intra-regional cooperation, a joint border post between Nigeria and Cameroon was recently commissioned and handed over in November 2022 to the authorities of the two countries.

He described the project as a bridge between ECOWAS and ECCAS and a solid foundation for future cooperation and integration between the regions and ultimately the African continent.

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President Tinubu also provided an update on the energy sector, expressing delight that several generation and interconnection projects had been implemented within the region.

According to him, with the completion of the electric interconnection between Cote d’Ivoire-Liberia-Sierra Leone- Guinee (1,300 km) and between Senegal-The Gambia-Guinea Bissau and Guinea (1,700 km), all the 15 countries in West Africa have now been interconnected.

”The completion of the Information and Coordination Centre of the West African Power Pool (WAPP) will enable member-states to buy and sell electricity in the region as this centre will act as a regional system operator within the framework of the regional electricity market,” he said.

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The ECOWAS chairperson also provided updates on investment promotion and the ECOWAS Cybersecurity Agenda to combat cybercrime and improve cybersecurity capabilities in member states.

While commending AU for their efforts in strengthening collaboration and coordination between the continental and regional bodies, President Tinubu thanked the Government and people of the Republic of Kenya for hosting the meeting and providing excellent facilities for the participants.