ECOWAS Commissioner for Human Development and Social Affairs attends the Graduation Ceremony for ECOWAS Students at the Diplomatic Academy of Spain
09 Jun, 2025The Commissioner for Human Development and Social Affairs, Prof. Fatou Sow SARR, took part in the graduation ceremony for the sixth year of the Master’s programme in Diplomacy and International Relations at the Diplomatic Academy of Madrid, which took place on the 9th of June 2025 in Madrid, Spain. She was accompanied by the Acting Director, Dr Roland KOUAKOU, who is also the Programme Coordinator at ECOWAS.
The Master’s Programme is part of the cooperation between ECOWAS and Spain, where an ECOWAS-SPAIN Scholarship Programme has been set up for young diplomats from ECOWAS Member States. The objectives of these scholarships are to improve the development of human capital in the ECOWAS region, increase the number of diplomats with a very good knowledge of the Spanish language and realities, after studies at master’s level enrich the knowledge base of the region and promote cooperation between Spain and ECOWAS, encourage the exchange of ideas and information between Spain and ECOWAS, promote personal and professional development and to facilitate integration between students, through language immersion programmes and the exchange of best practice. Participation in the Programme is strongly conditional on a thorough knowledge of the Spanish language.
During the mission, Commissioner Prof Fatou Sow SARR held two working sessions with the Secretary of State for Foreign and Global Affairs, H.E. Mr DIEGO Martínez-Belío at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the European Union and Cooperation, and Ms Ximena Sartori Mana, Head of the Cooperation Department for Sub-Saharan Africa of the Spanish Agency for the Development of International Cooperation (AECID). These two sessions were an opportunity to review all the programmes implemented by her department in the framework of cooperation. Ms Luisa Benítez-Donoso Tarascón, Director of the Office of the Secretary of State for Foreign and Global Affairs, and Ms Lucia Prieto Rios, Director of Spanish Humanitarian Action (AECID), also took part in the two meetings.
The mission ended with a graduation ceremony for some forty students from the Class of 2025 of the Master’s Programme, attended by six ECOWAS students from Benin, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea and Nigeria. The ceremony was attended by Ambassadors, project officers and Counsellors from the Embassies of Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea and Nigeria.
