Abuja, 29^th October 2018. The Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has urged for the establishment of a technical committee for the coordination of activities which falls under the purview of the European Union Support Project to the ECOWAS Peace, Security and Stability Regional Mandate Programme (ECOWAS-EU PSS).

The President of the Commission Jean-Claude Kassi Brou stated this at the meeting of the fourth meeting of the Steering and Coordination Committee of the ECOWAS-EU PSS project on the 26^th of October 2018 in Abuja, Nigeria.

Represented at the event by the ECOWAS Commission’s Commissioner for Industry and Private Sector Promotion Mr. Mamadou Traoré, the President maintained that such a step, would among others, greatly aid the implementation of the various programmes under the project.

Expressing gratitude to the European Union (EU), traditional technical and financial partners of ECOWAS, for their active support towards regional integration, he noted that collaboration in this regard is “an exemplary partnership with consistent coaching that inspires more than one cause”

He disclosed that in terms of external resources received, the EU is the largest donor of projects both to the Commission and especially to the Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security.

The projects, he noted, affect both the ECOWAS institutions and the Member States including together with their implementation while the support of the EU brings about qualitative transformations on the ground.

He cited examples in this regard to include the PSS Project support for electoral processes in Liberia, The Gambia, Togo, Mali and Sierra Leone while the project’s intervention in the Gambia covers security sector reform, political dialogue and national reconciliation.

Admitting that significant achievements have been made, not just at the level of the Commission and Member States but also with civil society organizations and the media, he however noted that there are still uncovered ground with only a year left to complete the project while the absorption rate of the funds is still below 32 percent.

The President enthused however that the Steering Committee offers participants the opportunity to discuss the solutions to the situation and to identify ways to accelerate the implementation of the various projects.

He said the Commission is looking forward among others, to resolved approval process for activities, coordination of the implementation of the SALW component in Nigeria, the reallocation of unused resources where appropriate, including the assumption of the financial officer’s emoluments.

The Head of Cooperation, EU Delegation to Nigeria Kurt Cornelis reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to work as partners with ECOWAS as both organisations share similar objectives and principles relating to the establishment of a peaceful West Africa where the respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law reign supreme.

He said it was for this reason that the EU welcomes the interactive opportunity to appraise the progress made within the N27 million Euros 10^th European Development Fund’s special support to ECOWAS which was signed in November 2013.

He highlighted the objectives of the project to include strengthening the capacity of the relevant Directorates linked to the ECOWAS Conflict Prevention Framework (ECPF) and particularly the Political Affairs, Peace and Security Directorate of the ECOWAS Commission.