Today, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi spoke by phone with Sultan of Oman, His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said. President El-Sisi extended his sincere and deepest condolences for the victims of the shooting incident in Al-Wadi Al-Kabeer area of Muscat. The President prayed to Allah the Almighty to envelope the victims of this tragic incident with his perfect mercy and wished the wounded speedy recovery. President El-Sisi reiterated Egypt’s condemnation of this heinous terrorist act and expressed full solidarity with the Sultanate of Oman during this challenging time, within the framework of ongoing efforts to combat terrorism and extremism.

His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq appreciated Egypt’s supportive stance towards Oman, emphasizing the strength and depth of the historical fraternal relations binding Egypt and Oman and their respective peoples. He reaffirmed his country’s commitment to further strengthening the distinguished bilateral cooperation between the two countries across various fields.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Presidency of the Arab Republic of Egypt.

Since the establishment of the ECOWAS Integrated Maritime Strategy (EIMS) in 2014, the operationalization of the ECOWAS Maritime Coordination Centres (EMCCs) across maritime zones E, F, and G, as well as the West Africa Regional Maritime Coordination Centre (CRESMAO), has significantly contributed to the reduction of piracy and sea robbery incidents in the ECOWAS Maritime Domain (EMD). Despite these successes, the EMCCs face challenges that undermine their efficiency, such as the unclear status of the Maritime Centres, staffing issues, and funding constraints. As part of the acceleration of the proper operationalization of the Maritime Centres, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission is organizing an interdepartmental meeting from 15th to 18th July 2024 in Accra, Ghana.

The meeting is aimed at reviewing and streamlining the structure of the EMCCs to ensure their effective functioning and sustainability. The meeting had representatives from various ECOWAS Departments, Directorates, Also from the ECOWAS Parliament, the ECOWAS Court of Justice, ECOWAS Maritime Coordination Centres.

During the opening ceremony, Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Ambassador Abdel- Fatau MUSAH, PhD, underscored the importance of Maritime Security in the West African region which currently has four  key zones, if properly managed could help with the prosperity for all in accordance with the ECOWAS Agenda 2050: ECOWAS of the people, Peace and Prosperity for all.

The Director for the MMCC Zone F, Oboumou Noel (Capt) represented by   the Deputy Director, Lt Cdr Edem AKATI emphasized the importance of the structural and technical reform of the Maritime Centres as a testament of the importance of the EMCCs in enhancing maritime safety and security in the ECOWAS Maritime domain.

In his opening remarks, the Representative of UNODC, M. Abbas Daher stated the importance of this milestone in the continuing engagement with ECOWAS with the aim of funding practical and innovative solutions towards ensuring maritime security and ensuring a safe and secure maritime domain to allow for economic prosperity in the ECOWAS States.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in the United Kingdom Rohitha Bogollagama met the new South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola at the Service of Thanksgiving celebrating the 30th Year of South Africa’s Democracy. The event was hosted by the High Commission of South Africa in London on 16 July 2024 at Westminster Abbey.

High Commissioner Bogollagama and Minister Lamola exchanged views on strengthening the bilateral relationship between Sri Lanka and South Africa as well as ties within the Commonwealth. Both dignitaries expressed a strong commitment to enhancing cooperation and deeper ties between their respective governments.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Sri Lanka.

Over the years, ECOWAS Member States have initiated policies and legal frameworks to address migration management, border delimitation, security, and development of border regions. Many countries have established or strengthened National Boundary Commissions with border governance responsibilities. However, there is a real challenge in terms of strengthening synergies, the articulation of scale between actors and the coordination of cross-border initiatives, a role that ECOWAS can validly play. It is against this background that the Directorate of Free Movement of Persons of the ECOWAS Commission organised the inaugural meeting of Heads of National Boundary Commissions from 9 to 11 July 2024 in Accra, Ghana.

The main objective of the meeting was to agree on the establishment of a coordination mechanism between national and regional actors for a better articulation of the implementation of border governance strategies within the ECOWAS region.

Mrs. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Hon. Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration of the Republic of Ghana was the Guest of Honour. In declaring the inaugural meeting of Heads of National Boundary Commissions opened, Mrs. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Hon. Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration of the Republic of Ghana stressed: “there is the need to create an enabling environment and to synchronise regional boundary management to ensure best practices, enjoy the benefits of shared boundary and tackle cross-border challenges”. She encouraged leaders of boundary management to ensure continuous support and realisations of an integrated Africa and enjoined delegates to actively participate in the meeting and harness their expertise towards fruitful deliberations and the overall objective of the meeting.

Other speakers included Major General Emmanuel W. Kotia, Commissioner General of the Ghana Boundary Commission, Surveyor Adamu Adaji, Director General of the National Boundary Commission of Nigeria, who was the chair of the meeting, Ambassador Mouktar Osman Karie, AU Representative, Mr. Eric Kondia, the UEMOA Representative and Mr Albert Siaw-Boateng, the Director of Free Movement of Persons and Migration of ECOWAS.

The Director of Free Movement, Mr Albert Siaw-Boateng, speaking on behalf of the ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, Mrs Massandje Toure-Litse, noted “the institutionalisation of the meeting of the Heads of Boundary Commission is the first of its kind and is aimed at the integration of border governance and management, an instrument on socioeconomic integration, the ambition of ECOWAS since its creation in 1975”.

He said that the concept of border government and management is part of the integration of West Africa, and that the cross-border initiatives programme was created in 2006; and the Accra meeting was to take stock of existing border governance and management programmes and the scope of their interventions.

This inaugural meeting of the Heads of the National Boundary Commissions was to develop an intervention strategy between the ECOWAS Commission and the Member States with the aim of harmonizing border governance and management in West Africa.

At the end of the meeting, specific recommendations were formulated for regional and continental bodies such as ECOWAS, WAEMU, and the AU, as well as at the national level.

At the regional and continental levels, it was recommended to institutionalize the annual meeting of the Heads of National Boundary Commissions as a framework for exchanging, harmonizing, and sharing border governance policies and experiences, considering both internal and external borders.

At the national level, Member States were encouraged to develop and strengthen bilateral and multilateral exchange frameworks between national and local cross-border cooperation structures to enhance the monitoring of local cross-border cooperation initiatives.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).