Africa-Press. The Kingdom of Denmark is seeking to strengthen cooperation with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in order to reinforce the existing partnership between the two sides, with the aim of promoting peace, security, and stability in West Africa.
This was stated by Denmark’s Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and ECOWAS, Jens Ole Bach Hansen, who led a delegation to the Commission during his meeting with the Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Dr. Abdel-Fattah Moussa, in Abuja, Nigeria.
The Danish envoy expressed his country’s desire to see the ECOWAS region fully realize its potential for prosperity, with secure citizens motivated to invest in their future within a stable and peaceful environment.
He explained that the recently signed African Peace and Sustainability Partnership Programme (APPS V) will support ongoing peacebuilding programmes of the ECOWAS Commission once it becomes operational, and that several positive outcomes are expected during the mid-term review of the agreement with ECOWAS later this year.
For his part, Commissioner Moussa, who agreed with Ambassador Hansen that the ECOWAS region remains fragile, emphasized the need to rethink the concept of democracy itself, allowing the diverse historical experiences of African peoples to guide modern states in the region, in order to ensure that the benefits of democracy reach all citizens.
The Commissioner also revealed that the ECOWAS Commission, as part of its review of the regional integration agenda and its pursuit of fair and productive partnerships, recognizes the need to ensure basic infrastructure for the region’s youth, address post-election conduct in ECOWAS member states, and realign ECOWAS programmes with the region’s new realities, while seeking common ground on priorities with partners such as the Danish International Development Agency (Danida).
