Abuja, 11th June 2020. With the support of its partners, the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has commenced the process of developing Vision 2050 and its implementation frameworks.

The vision document once in place, will firm up the aspirations and developmental priorities of West African citizens over the next 30 years while consolidating the gains made by ECOWAS in the implementation of programmes and projects identified under the receding ECOWAS Vision 2020.

In this vein, the commission is collaborating with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) which has a proven capacity to prepare and analyse development programmes for Regional Economic Communities (RECs).

The two organisations are building on their existing Memorandum of Understanding, consistent with the agreement signed in July 2019, by which the UNECA will, among others, provide technical assistance in the evaluation of ECOWAS Vision 2020 and the development of Vision 2050. The ECA will also provide capacity building in Strategic Planning and support the development of a Monitoring and Evaluating Handbook.

In furtherance of this collaboration, experts from the ECOWAS Commission, UNECA and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) met virtually on the 14th of April 2020 to validate the methodological framework of ECOWAS 2050 Vision, with technical support from Cellule d’Analyse de Politiques Économiques du CIRES (CAPEC).

At the meeting, the Vice President of the ECOWAS Commission Madam Finda Koroma, represented by Mr. Cherno Jallow stressed the importance of Vision 2050, being the document that will birth “a roadmap of the programs and progress of ECOWAS for the next 30 years and which should be in line with the aspirations and the expectations of Member States”

As an all-inclusive Vision, the Vice President expressed the hope that what is being prepared will be “able to grow programs and projects that will really address the needs of the people in the region”.

Also during the meeting, UNECA’s Director, sub-regional Office for West Africa, Ngone Diop noted: “It is more important for me to come up with this unique and transformative pillar that can respond to the aspirations of the populations of ECOWAS region” just as Mr. Frank-Emery Mongbe of GIZ reiterated his organization’s full commitment and willingness to support the assignment.

The online technical validation workshop produced agreements on key action points, going forward including alternative strategy to mitigate the impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the assignment timeline, agreed in November 2019.

As a precursor to the 2050 Vision, the ECOWAS Heads of State and government had adopted a Community long term development vision 2020, billed to create a borderless, peaceful prosperous and cohesive region that is built on good governance, and where people have the capacity to access and harness the enormous resources through the creation of opportunities for sustainable development and environmental preservation.