The Vice-President of the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Ms Damtien Larbli Tchintchibidja, has emphasized the deepening of long-standing relations between Germany and the regional organization.
During a courtesy visit by the West African country office directors of the German Agency for International Cooperation, better known by its acronym GIZ, led by the Head of Cooperation Development of the German Embassy near Nigeria, to the headquarters of the said Commission in Abuja, Nigeria, on Thursday February 27, 2025, Ms. Tchintchibidja urged her hosts to discuss bilateral cooperation and the strengthening of coordination between stakeholders.
She informed the visitors of the impact on West African citizens of the activities of the Regional Stabilization and Development Fund (RSDF) and the Early Warning and Response System, also known as ECOWARN.
Ms Tchintchibidja took the opportunity to present to her guests the achievements of the regional organisation, such as the free movement of people, goods and services within the Community area, the introduction of the ECOWAS passport, the Community levy, the promotion of trade between ECOWAS member states thanks to the Common External Tariff for products from third countries imported into the Community.
She did not forget the creation of the common currency of ECOWAS, efforts to ensure food security in the Community area, the creation of National Early Warning and Response Centres to guarantee stability in the West African region, not forgetting this year’s celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the regional organisation.
She also drew attention to the many security challenges hindering peace, security, stability and development in the region, including conflict, insecurity, violent extremism, organised crime, terrorism and climate change and its adverse effects.
‘These challenges are major threats to regional peace and stability’, said Ms Tchintchibidja.
She expressed her gratitude and appreciation to both Germany and GIZ for their constant support to ECOWAS in the achievement of its objectives, while calling for a further strengthening of the bilateral partnership in the areas of cooperation between the two institutions.
‘Germany and GIZ are important partners for ECOWAS in the implementation of its regional integration programme,’ she said.
For her part, the Head of Development Cooperation at the German Embassy in Nigeria, Ms Karin Jansen, reaffirmed the commitment of the Federal Republic of Germany to support ECOWAS in four fundamental areas: peaceful and inclusive societies; sustainable economic development; training and employment; health, social protection and demographic dynamics, as well as climate, energy and just transition.
‘We share a common vision with ECOWAS to address the region’s challenges and create opportunities for regional economic integration, peace and stability,’ said Karin Jansen.
This year, we are looking forward to the forthcoming government negotiations between Germany and ECOWAS, which will serve as a platform for strengthening our joint cooperation and aligning our priorities for future development,’ she hinted.
In addition to the formal discussions, the meeting included a video presentation on the Stabilisation and Regional Development Fund, and a visit to the ECOWAS early warning situation room, where participants heard presentations on various security issues in the Community area.
The presentations were made by the Commission’s Acting Director of Early Warning, Dr Onyinye Onwuka, and her colleagues Nanténé Coulibaly and Marcel Bossou.