ECOWAS participates in high-level workshop on regional integration

ECOWAS participates in high-level workshop on regional integration

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is participating in the "High-Level Workshop on Regional Integration. This hybrid workshop, organised both physically and virtually, kicks-off in Kasane, Botswana from Sunday 28 April 2024 and extending through Tuesday 30 April 2024 and is under the theme "43 Years of Regional Integration: Where are we and way forward".

The primary objective of the workshop is to cultivate a deeper understanding, foster better collaboration, and coordinate regional integration efforts to advance the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Regional Integration Agenda.

At the end of the three-day workshop, participants include Senior Officers from SADC, African Union, UNECA, ECOWAS, World Bank, are expected to: (1) gain broader understanding and awareness of the significance, and progress made on SADC's integration agenda and the direction the Region must take with regards to the integration milestones; (2) propose policy reforms, regulatory changes, and institutional improvements to enhance regional cooperation, trade facilitation, and infrastructure development; (3) list prioritised projects, interventions, synergies and collaborations aimed at promoting regional integration and sustainable development; and (4) document opportunities, challenges, lessons learned, and good practices in regional integration, among others.

The participation of ECOWAS in this workshop holds significant importance for the organisers, as it provides an opportunity for SADC to glean insights from ECOWAS' integration journey, which can be applied to bolster SADC's efforts.

Representing the President of the ECOWAS Commission, H.E. Dr. Alieu Omar Touray, and the Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, Mrs. Massandje Toure-Litse, at this hybrid workshop, are Ambassador Francis Oke, the Permanent Representative to the African Union, and Mr. Albert Siaw-Boateng, the Director of Free Movement of Persons and Migration.