89th Ordinary Session Of Council Of ECOWAS Ministers Begins In Abuja

The 89th Ordinary Session of the Council of Ministers, considered a veritable platform for reviewing the programmes of regional Organisations, has commenced in Nigeria’s Capital City, Abuja.

The meeting attended by representatives of member states is to brainstorm on key issues confronting the region while providing the Heads of State and Government with the requisite knowledge on the best way to advance the community for collective impact. 
On this backdrop, the ECOWAS Commission’s administration is keen on enhancing the active ties of the commission to promote integration.
President of ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Alieu Touray, in his speech, urged ECOWAS Ministers to support the realization of the region’s agenda for 2050 as it begins its programme implementation. 
He said in compliance with the new Financial Regulations, planning is key to implementing projects and programmes to reflect his administration’s mantra “ECOWAS of the people”.
On his part, the Nigerian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Zubairu Dada, said the meeting is in the interest of the citizens and urged representatives to utilize every given opportunity to advance the region’s economy for sustainable integration. 
Later, the Chairman ECOWAS Regional Electricity Access Project, Kocou Laurent Tossou, reviewed plans on how to collaborate to boost competitiveness in providing electricity so as to promote production and economic growth across member states.  
At the event, new commissioners were also sworn in to pilot the affairs of the community for the next four years. 
It will be recalled, that before this meeting,  a three-year budget, which is considered to be the first had been presented for consideration based on the Medium Term Expenditure Framework – MTEF.