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The European Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Thursday signed seven agreements worth €212.4 million on promotion of trade and regional integration, energy interconnectivity and renewable energy.
The agreement also covered affordable and clean energy, sustainable food system, food security as well as migration.
Leader of the EU team and European Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, who met with the President, ECOWAS Commission, Omar Alieu Touray, in Abuja for the signing of the agreements, was accompanied by the European Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson.
Urpilainen said EU was a long term supporter of regional integration that produces prosperity through added value. Noting that ECOWAS currently operates in a politically challenging context.
Urpilainen stated that the agreements have a central role of stabilizing the region through promotion of democracy, rule of law and economic cooperation.
ECOWAS President, Touray, in his response, appreciated the EU for continued strategic partnership with ECOWAS, which has always provided support towards addressing regional challenges.
The breakdown of agreements include support to free movement of persons and migration, €34 million. This is for maximizing the development potential of free movement of persons and migration within a more secure and rights-based Economic Community of West African Countries in the context of regional integration process. This would be achieved by supporting the effective implementation of ECOWAS free movement Protocol and ECOWAS Common Approach on Migration at the regional, national and local levels.
Africa Trade Competitiveness and Market Access was supported with €50 million. This is to increase sustainable intra-African trade and strengthening Africa-EU trade by enhancing market access and export competitiveness for SMEs in selected value chains.
The third agreement, which was in the area of trade in services in Sub-Saharan Africa, has €l1.5 million. It was to aid increasing the liberalization of services and exports for selected services sectors with the aim to increase intra-regional, continental and bilateral trade in services, enabling higher integration into regional and global value chains.
There was also support programme for specialized ECOWAS organizations active in the energy sector to develop the regional electricity market and operationalize its interconnected grid and increase the share of renewable energy in the energy mix. The sum of €25 million was earmarked for this agreement, which was for increasing the share of renewable energy in the energy mix through the establishment and development of the regional electricity market for sustainable, affordable and accessible energy for women and men in all their diversity.
“Regional Clean Cooking Action in West Africa – ReCCAWA, E12 million, for increasing access to clean, efficient, sustainable and affordable cooking energy solutions in West Africa by strengthening the clean cooking enabling framework at regional and national scales, by proposing innovative financing and promoting business models that will scale-up the supply, dissemination and adoption of clean cooking solutions, and by creating and disseminating evidence-based data and knowledge that will contribute to the governance of the West African cooking sector.
“Project to support the Regional Food Security Storage Strategy in West Africa
PASRSSA has €20million. It is to support the integrated and coordinated implementation of ECOWAS regional storage strategy and the regional governance of food and nutrition security of actors in the Sahel Club and West Africa.
“Regional support programme for the development of the pastoral economy in West Africa and the Sahel – PRADEP-AOS, Euros 60 million, to enhance the contribution of the livestock sector to the transformation of sustainable food systems and to inclusive and resilient green growth of the economies of the countries of the region”, the EU Commissioner said.
Michael Olugbode in Abuja
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