The Directorate of Customs Union and Taxation of the ECOWAS Commission organized a meeting on the New ECOWAS Transit Procedure from June 10 to 13, 2024, in Abuja, Nigeria. The meeting aimed to review the implementation of the Abidjan roadmap and assess the progress of the Interconnected System for the Management of Goods in Transit (SIGMAT) in member states. Additionally, participants examined the draft transit manual of procedures. Read More »

State House, Freetown, Wednesday 12 June 2024 – His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio has received a booklet containing the report, which includes the facts, findings, and recommendations from the Tribunal to investigate the former Auditor-General, Mrs. Lara Taylor-Pearce and Deputy Auditor-General, Tamba Momoh. Read More »

St Helena’s air service, operated by Airlink, runs a scheduled weekly service between Johannesburg and St Helena, along with a monthly inter-island service with Ascension Island. In November 2023, the St Helena Government (SHG) announced mid-week flights for the 2024-25 peak season on Tuesdays from Johannesburg and reintroduced Saturday flights from Cape Town. Read More »

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Day was commemorated in The Gambia on Tuesday, May 28, 2024. The event marked the 49th anniversary of the regional organization and gathered government officials, diplomats, civil society representatives, and citizens to reflect on ECOWAS's achievements and future prospects. Read More »

An expert group meeting for the establishment of the Economic, Social and Cultural Council in West Africa (ECOSOCC-WA) is scheduled to take place between June 12 and 13, 2024, in Cotonou, Republic of Benin. Participants at the two-day meeting are expected to review and strengthen the draft foundational framework document that resulted from two previous consultative meetings held ahead of this convergence. Read More »

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security, Amb. Abdel-Fatah Musah, represented by Dr. Abdourahmane Dieng, Permanent Secretary of WAPCCO, emphasized the critical need for regional police chiefs to adapt and collaborate in addressing complex security challenges during the West African Police Chiefs Committee (WAPCCO) technical sub-committee meeting held on June 6 in Abuja, Nigeria. Read More »

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission launched the National Platform for the ECOWAS Cross-Border Cooperation Support Programme 2023–2027 on June 10, 2024, in Praia, Cabo Verde. Read More »

President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone received the combined 2023 Annual and Elections Reports from Mohamed Konneh, Chief Electoral Commissioner and Chairman of the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL), reiterating that no presidential elections will be held until 2028 as per legal stipulations. Read More »

In honor of World Blood Donor Day on Friday, June 14, 2024, the Health Laboratory team is hosting a blood donation clinic. Individuals are invited to drop in anytime between 9:00 and 16:00 to learn more about blood donation or to donate blood. Read More »

Dakar, June 10, 2024 – The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) marked its 49th anniversary today with a significant joint activity held at the King Fahd Hôtel in Dakar. Organized by the Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA) and the ECOWAS Gender and Development Centre (CCDG), with participation from the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE), this year’s celebration centered around the theme: “Strengthening Regional Unity, Peace, and Security.” Read More »

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has advocated for the promotion of multilateralism at the United Nations (UN). The ECOWAS Commission’s Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Amb Abdel-Fatau Musah, presented these initiatives during the ECOWAS @ 49 high-level event held on June 7, 2024, at the UN headquarters in New York. Read More »

The Republic of Liberia, Seoul, Korea - His Excellency Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr., has returned to Liberia following a successful weeklong visit to Seoul, South Korea. President Boakai was invited by Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to attend the inaugural Korea-Africa Summit held from June 4-5, 2024. Read More »

The ECOWAS Commission, in collaboration with the German Federal Foreign Office, the European Union, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), and the Diplo Foundation, organized a workshop on cyber diplomacy simulation. The event took place in Accra, Ghana from June 5 to 7, 2024 and brought together representatives from ECOWAS Member States’ Ministries of Foreign Affairs. Read More »

The Republic of Liberia has signed seven Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with Korean multinational companies during President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr.'s visit to South Korea. These agreements, facilitated by the National Investment Commission, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Agriculture, aim to enhance key sectors such as agriculture, food production, energy, water supply, and financial investment. Read More »

The youth of West Africa are advocating for the establishment of innovation hubs across various ECOWAS member states, increased investment in digital entrepreneurship, and grassroots initiatives to enhance peace and security through digital technology. They also emphasize the importance of incorporating training in new technologies into school curricula from an early age through partnerships with national education ministries. Read More »

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has validated a Regional Action Plan for the Inclusion of People with Disabilities for the 2022-2030 period. This decision was reached by ministers responsible for disability inclusion at the conclusion of a two-day hybrid meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, on June 6, 2024. Read More »

The new Coordinator of the United Nations System in Guinea, Mrs. Kristèle Younès, visited His Excellency Ambassador Louis Blaise AKA-BROU, ECOWAS Resident Representative in Guinea, on Thursday, June 6, 2024, at the ECOWAS Office in Conakry. Read More »

Diabetes Week is scheduled from Monday, June 10 to Sunday, June 16, 2024. The Health Promotion and Community Nursing teams are focusing on raising awareness about diabetes during this period. This year's campaign theme is "Talk about the health checks you need when you have diabetes." Read More »

Access Bank has been recognized as the ‘Best Trade Partner Bank West Africa 2024’ by the International Finance Corporation (IFC). The award was presented at the Global Trade Partners Meeting (GTPM), held from May 7-9, 2024, in Barcelona, Spain. This recognition underscores Access Bank's notable performance and commitment to advancing trade finance across the continent. Read More »

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and its partners are leveraging digital innovation to prepare the youth for self-development, empowerment, and regional development. This initiative was highlighted at the Youth-Voices-for-Change Forum, which commenced on June 5, 2024, in Accra, Ghana. The forum aims to harness youth energies through digital innovations to address challenges such as unemployment, irregular migration, insecurity, educational gaps, healthcare issues, poverty, criminality, poor governance, misinformation, and violent extremism. Read More »