ECOWAS- USAID aim for $1 billion partnership deal

The Vice-President of the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), H.E. Mrs. Damtien L. Tchintchibidja, and the Regional Director – West Africa of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Mrs. Jo Lesser Oltheten, held talks on Monday, May 20, 2024, in Abuja, Nigeria. The discussions aimed to finalize a new partnership agreement between their institutions.

The meeting included directors and experts from both the ECOWAS Commission and USAID. It provided an opportunity for H.E. Mrs. Damtien L. Tchintchibidja and Mrs. Jo Lesser Oltheten to review existing cooperation between the two organizations and discuss future programs and projects under the upcoming partnership agreement.

In her welcome address, the Vice-President of the ECOWAS Commission emphasized the need to revitalize current cooperation with USAID, which spans areas such as peace and security, early warning mechanisms, agriculture, health, gender issues, social inclusion, energy, and communication.

H.E. Mrs. Damtien L. Tchintchibidja confirmed that experts from ECOWAS sectoral departments are ready to identify various cooperation areas that will contribute to stabilizing democracy, peace, regional security, implementing regional programs, and achieving sustainable development goals in Member States.

Mrs. Jo Lesser Oltheten highlighted ECOWAS's role in promoting economic integration and its efforts in industry sectors including transport; telecommunications; energy; agriculture; natural resource management; trade; monetary and financial issues; as well as social and cultural matters. She commended ECOWAS's commitment to combating terrorism and maintaining regional peace and security.

“The next five-year cooperative agreement, with an estimated budget of 1 billion US dollars,” stated Jo Lesser Oltheten “will cover a number of thematic areas and will focus on the specific needs of ECOWAS and its Member States in order to boost the region’s economic development and the resilience of its people in the face of multiple economic, security and climate challenges.”