ECOWAS to participate in the WURI project’s phase ii mid-term review

ECOWAS to participate in the WURI project's phase ii mid-term review

The World Bank in collaboration with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is organising a regional workshop on the West Africa Unique Identification for Regional Integration and Inclusion (WURI) program from May 6 to 8, 2024 in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire.

The workshop aims to achieve the following objectives: (i) build knowledge and capacity on specific operational themes, relevant to the different stages of project implementation; (ii) share experiences and best practices between participating countries, i.e. Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Niger, Togo, and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission; (iii) agree on principles and standards for interoperability and mutual recognition; and (iv) facilitate any other exchanges conducive to the successful implementation of the Project.

it is worthy of note that the Abidjan Regional Workshop will focus on the Mid-Term Review of Phase II of the Project, a crucial step required for the project extension process.

The WURI programme is to increase the number of persons in participating countries who have government-recognised proof of unique identity that facilitates their access to services. The participating countries, six of them include Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Niger, Togo; and the ECOWAS Commission role is to ensure the cross-border interoperability of participating Member States' foundational identification systems and mutual recognition of credentials to facilitate access to services.

The programme is composed of three main components: strengthening the legal and institutional framework, establishing robust and reliable foundational ID systems and enabling access to services through fIDs, all organised through country-level operations.