The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) will continue investments into ongoing development actions, a statement said, late Sunday.
The statement said, the two institutions would equally continue with investments in sectors such as human development, access to education, economic infrastructure, health, and security.
The decision was reached at the end of the high-level joint AfDB-ECOWAS review mission on the Integration Strategy Paper (RISP)2020-2025.
During the mission, the ECOWAS Commission and the AfDB held a series of joint consultation meetings from Sept. 5 to Friday to Sept.15th, 2023, focusing on the mid-term and portfolio performance of the RISP for West Africa for 2020-2025.
“These consultations aimed to assess the progress and performance of the RISP and discuss the necessary interventions to promote regional integration and development,” the statement explained.
It said the consultations provided a platform for stakeholders to exchange ideas, share experiences, and propose strategies to advance regional integration in West Africa.
ECOWAS Commission President Omar Alieu Touray and Director General of the African Development Bank, Lamine Barrow, attended the wrap-up session, where they jointly committed to continue ongoing development actions and the strengthening of investments relevant sectors.
The African Development Bank and ECOWAS are collaborating on several projects including the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor project which is a flagship project of the Program for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA).
This road of 1028 km, currently under construction, will connect the cities of Abidjan, Accra, Cotonou, Lagos, and Lomé. With a total population of over 35 million, these cities are considered the largest and, from an economic point of view, the most dynamic in West Africa.