Africa-Press – Liberia. The Vice-President of the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), H.E. Mrs. Damtien L. Tchintchibidja, and the Regional Director—West Africa of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Mrs. Jo Lesser OLTHETEN, held talks on Monday, 20 May 2024, in Abuja, Nigeria, to finalize a new partnership agreement between their institutions.
The meeting, which was attended by Directors and experts from the ECOWAS Commission and USAID, was an opportunity for H.E. Mrs Damtien L. Tchintchibidja and Mrs Jo Lesser OLTHETEN to take stock of the cooperation between the two organisations, and to discuss the programmes and projects to be covered by the future partnership agreement to be signed this year between ECOWAS and USAID.
In her welcome address, the Vice-President of the ECOWAS Commission reiterated the need to revitalise the existing cooperation between ECOWAS and USAID. This collaboration currently covers several areas, namely peace and security, early warning mechanism, agriculture, health, gender, social inclusion, energy and communication.
H.E. Mrs Damtien L. Tchintchibidja confirmed the availability of experts from the ECOWAS sectoral departments to identify the various areas of cooperation that will contribute to the stabilisation and consolidation of democracy, peace and regional security, as well as to the implementation of regional programmes and the achievement of sustainable development objectives in Member States.
For her part, Mrs Jo Lesser OLTHETEN underlined the importance of ECOWAS mission in promoting economic integration and its interventions in the fields of industry, transport, telecommunications, energy, agriculture, natural resource management, trade, monetary and financial issues, and social and cultural matters. She praised ECOWAS commitment to the fight against terrorism and the maintenance of regional peace and security.
“The next five-year cooperative agreement, with an estimated budget of 1 billion US dollars, will cover a number of thematic areas and will focus on the specific needs of ECOWAS and its Member States in order to boost the region’s economic development and the resilience of its people in the face of multiple economic, security and climate challenges,” stated Jo Lesser OLTHETEN.
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