ECOWAS participates in high-level workshop on regional integration

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is actively engaged in the "High-Level Workshop on Regional Integration" currently taking place in Kasane, Botswana. The workshop, held both physically and virtually, is focused on the theme "43 Years of Regional Integration: Where are we and way forward”.

The workshop aims to deepen understanding, enhance collaboration, and coordinate efforts towards advancing the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Regional Integration Agenda. Attendees, including Senior Officers from SADC, African Union, UNECA, ECOWAS, and the World Bank, are expected to engage in various activities to drive regional integration forward.

Among the objectives of the workshop are to "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". Participants will also "propose policy reforms, regulatory changes, and institutional improvements to enhance regional cooperation, trade facilitation, and infrastructure development".

Furthermore, the workshop aims to "list prioritised projects, interventions, synergies and collaborations aimed at promoting regional integration and sustainable development" and to "document opportunities, challenges, lessons learned, and good practices in regional integration, among others".

ECOWAS' participation in the workshop is of particular importance as it provides an opportunity for SADC to learn from ECOWAS' integration journey. Representing ECOWAS at the 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, on behalf of H.E. Dr. Alieu Omar Touray and Mrs. Massandje Toure-Litse.

The workshop serves as a platform for regional bodies to exchange insights, propose innovative solutions, and strengthen collaboration towards achieving greater regional integration and sustainable development in Africa.