The Abidjan-Lagos corridor highway, an ambitious priority project of ECOWAS, will take an important step towards completion of the technical studies with the final technical validation of the revised draft final design reports by the project directors and engineers of the five (5) Member Countries of the corridor at a 4-day workshop which began on Wednesday, 11 September 2024 in Lagos, Nigeria.

This workshop is organized under the auspices of the ECOWAS Commission, the Implementing Agency that is coordinating the design, procurement, construction and operation of the six-lane supranational highway that will connect Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire) and Lagos (Nigeria) through Ghana, Togo and Benin. The Highway will be under a single management on behalf of the by the soon to be operational Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Management Authority.

At the opening of the workshop, Mr. Chris APPIAH, Acting Director of Transport for the ECOWAS Commission, said the project remains a key catalyst to deepening regional integration, stimulating economic growth and supporting poverty eradication efforts in the region.

He stressed that the corridor is not just a 2×3 lane highway but an economic development tool to be used to unearth dormant economic activities and boost key economic sectors such as tourism, industrialization and manufacturing, education, health and others. He noted that these enhanced economic activities will draw their dynamism from, the considerable increase in road capacity and reduced travel time with the removal of impediments and non-tariff barriers slowing the flow of people and goods, (ii) interconnecting other corridors linking landlocked countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, and the major ports of the five countries in the corridor, which handle 85% of Europe’s maritime freight. The Corridor Highway also has the potential of the creating a large agglomeration of capital cities interconnected to form a megalopolis to support the West African Economy.

He ended by highlighting the inclusion of a Climate adaptation and resilience study to scope the potential hazard elements that the Highway design and operation ought to consider. The study also seeks to support access to green finance grants and investment funds which could be leveraged to augment the construction financing for the highway.

It is note-worthy to recall that the development of this corridor is in line with ECOWAS’ 2050 Vision and the respective strategies of the five Member States concerned with the aim of to promoting an efficient, safe and competitive infrastructure for trade and sustainable development.

This technical validation workshop brought together engineers and other related technical experts from the Road Infrastructure Ministries of the Corridor Countries of the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Road, the Directorates of Transport and the Environment of the ECOWAS Commission, the ECOWAS Project Preparation and Development Unit (PPDU), with the support of the Project Implementation Unit, development partners and other stakeholders, including the African Development Bank and the European Union.

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

The ECOWAS Commission in collaboration with GIZ is organizing a validation workshop on Records Management Policy and Manual in Lagos from 9th – 13th September 2024.

The purpose of the workshop is to establish a comprehensive framework for managing records at the ECOWAS Institutions/Agencies/Offices. It aims at ensuring that all records are accurately created, managed, stored, and disposed of in a manner that supports the operational, legal and regulatory requirements of ECOWAS and enhance their overall operational efficiency, decision-making capabilities, and accountability to member states and other stakeholders.

This validation exercise forms part of the key requirements for the EU Pillar Assessment.

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

Placed under the coordination of HE Mrs. Damtien TCHINTCHIBIDJA, Vice-President of the ECOWAS Commission, the ECOWAS Regional Stabilization and Development Fund is an initiative supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) to promote socio-economic stabilization and recovery in fragile communities in the ECOWAS region. The launch of the activit2024,of this initiative was made this Wednesday, September 11, 2024 in Cotonou, Benin with the Beninese press in attendance, by Mr. Habib TIDJANI, Technical Advisor to the Minister of State for Finance and Economy of Benin, in the presence of HE Amadou DIONGUE, Resident Representative of ECOWAS in Benin, Mr. Felix KRESS, Cooperation Attaché at the German Embassy, Representatives of GIZ, KFW and national implementing partners.

This launch follows the signing by HE Dr. Omar Alieu TOURAY, President of the ECOWAS Commission and HE Romuald WADAGNI, Minister of State in charge of Economy and Finance of the Republic of Benin of the grant agreement for the direct contribution of ECOWAS to the Regional Stabilization and Development Fund. The financing agreement, which covers an amount of 2 million US dollars intended to finance socio-economic stabilization interventions in the departments of Atacora, Donga and Collines during the 2024-2027 period, represents part of a total financing of 17 million Euros that Benin could obtain as support from the RSDF.

In his speech at the official launch of the RSDF in Benin, H.E. Amadou DIONGUE, on behalf of the President and Vice-President of the ECOWAS Commission, expressed the sub-regional institution’s gratitude to the Government of the Republic of Benin and its Head of State. After giving a brief overview of the current challenges facing ECOWAS, the Resident Representative recalled the history of the RSDF and the reasons behind its creation. “This project clearly shows that the fight against violent extremism is not only a military matter. It is a question of anticipating the establishment of basic socio-economic infrastructure, strengthening the capacities of vulnerable populations to give them hope and implementing governance policies capable of preserving our fragile living together,” he added.

Speaking on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Mr. Felix KRESS stressed on the availability of his country’s government to support ECOWAS through GIZ and KFW. He ended his remarks with his country’s wish to see the implementation of activities planned under the RSDF accelerated.

Speaking on behalf of Benin’s Minister of State for the Economy and Finance at the official launch of the Fund’s activities, Technical Adviser Habib TIDJANI reviewed the various consultations held by the Government of Benin with local players and stakeholders in the target areas, as well as the steps taken to ensure that the FRSD’s activities are in line with local and national development plans. He also specified that as part of the implementation of this project, “a national advisory committee chaired by the Ministry of Economy and Finance and composed of representatives of several governmental and non-governmental agencies was set up to ensure that the activities of this project reflect national priorities. This project demonstrates the strong partnership between the ECOWAS Commission and the Government of Benin with a view to building a strong region in accordance with Vision 2050 of an ECOWAS of the people.”

After the official launch speech, a brief presentation of the RSDF was made by Mr. Raouf SALAMI, the Executive Assistant to the Vice-President of the ECOWAS Commission. The media was then given the opportunity to probe for clarification.

The Regional Fund for Stabilization and Development is an initiative launched in 2019 by ECOWAS. The first phase of the project was implemented in The Gambia (2019-2024). The second phase, which runs from 2024 to 2027, is being implemented in Benin, Togo and Guinea-Bissau. It mainly covers 3 areas of intervention, namely employment (vocational training, basic infrastructure, promotion of entrepreneurship, etc.), environment (reforestation, irrigation, renewable energy, etc.) and services necessary for social cohesion (sport, media for peace, conflict resolution mechanisms, etc.).

In Benin, this project aims to reach approximately 24,000 beneficiaries. It is implemented in partnership with the Government of Benin, German Cooperation and national partners such as CARE International and VSF-B.

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

In Niger, over 841,000 people have been impacted by the floods, with more than 400,000 displaced and hundreds tragically losing their lives; Mali is facing its worst floods since the 1960s, with 343,900 people affected and 55 deaths reported; In Nigeria, heavy rainfall has caused widespread devastation, with the overflowing of the Alau Dam in Maiduguri leading to the worst floods in 30 years. Over 239,000 people have been affected, with many lives lost and injuries reported.

Devastating floods have plunged the West Africa region into a state of emergency, with hundreds of thousands of people displaced and hundreds killed. Populations in Mali, Niger and Nigeria – who have already been facing unprecedented levels of humanitarian needs – are now dealing with the worst floods in 30 years, which will only exacerbate food insecurity in the region with the destruction of farmland and significant crop losses.

As forecasts predict that heavy rains will continue in the coming months, with ongoing flooding in several parts of the region, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) is working with partners and government agencies to ensure people reach safety and are able to access emergency support including cash, shelter and improved sanitation and access to clean water, especially for the most vulnerable.

Efforts are also underway to support economic recovery and development in the wake of these disasters.

In the Central Sahel region of West Africa, where temperatures are rising 50% faster than the global average, climate change is amplifying inequalities—hitting low-income communities the hardest and deepening poverty by destroying their livelihoods.

Modou Diaw, Regional Vice President West Africa for the IRC, says:

“”The situation is devastating—people in the region are already grappling with rising hunger and alarmingly high malnutrition. Climatic shocks like these floods only worsen food insecurity, malnutrition, and overall instability.

“We are deeply grateful to partners like ECHO, BHA and SIDA for their flexibility in quickly releasing funds to address this disaster. Their funding modalities have allowed us to rapidly prepare and launch responses to support the most vulnerable affected by the floods in Mali, Niger, and Nigeria.

“In places like Mali, it’s women – either widows or women with children – who are most affected in Bamako – they earn their income from small businesses that have been destroyed and  often live in mud huts that wouldn’t have withstood the floods.  

“However, we need a shift in how we approach climate financing. With extreme climate events becoming more frequent, the international community must invest in anticipatory action and scale up community-based disaster-risk reduction efforts, such as early-warning systems. Development partners should prioritise climate mitigation and build resilient infrastructure to prevent floods, while continuing to strengthen health systems to manage the ongoing impacts.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Rescue Committee (IRC) .