ECOWAS opens thirty-fifth AFC meeting in Abuja

The thirty-fifth meeting of the Administration and Finance Committee (AFC) of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was officially opened on June 28, 2024, in Abuja, Nigeria. This five-day meeting will engage key stakeholders in discussions to address administrative and financial matters critical to the functioning and sustainability of the ECOWAS community.

In her welcome address, H.E. Damtien Tchintchibidja, Vice President of the ECOWAS Commission, emphasized the importance of this meeting amid recent structural changes within the ECOWAS Commission.

Prof. Nazifi Abdullahi Darma, Commissioner for Internal Services, outlined the agenda and key issues to be discussed during the meeting.

H.E. Amb. Olawale Emmanuel Awe, Chair of the Administration and Finance Committee, officially opened the meeting with a statement emphasizing the committee’s role in overseeing ECOWAS’s administrative and financial operations.

Central to the discussions is adopting a new organogram following a reduction in ECOWAS Commission members from 15 to 7. The committee will also review the community's financial status as of June 15, 2024, and discuss implementing the Community Levy Protocol. Challenges in remitting proceeds collected by member states will be addressed with an emphasis on the importance of the community levy (0.5% of imported goods' value) for funding ECOWAS programs.

H.E. Amb. Olawale Emmanuel Awe highlighted AFC's crucial role in ensuring ECOWAS's financial and administrative integrity: “Our community relies on our objective and dispassionate handling of our mandate.”