The Vice President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS Commission), H.E. Mrs. Damtien Larbli Tchintchibidja, emphasized the importance of cohesion and unity during her welcome address at the 36th Meeting of the Administration and Finance Committee (AFC). The meeting is taking place from December 3-9, 2024, at the ECOWAS Commission's Headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria.
The AFC serves as a platform for discussing administration and finance matters related to the management of the ECOWAS Commission and its institutions. Attendees include directors and experts from ECOWAS National Offices across member states, vice presidents and commissioners of the ECOWAS Commission, heads of ECOWAS institutions, resident representatives, and heads of technical divisions.
Vice President Tchintchibidja expressed gratitude on behalf of the President of the ECOWAS Commission to H.E. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, President of Nigeria and Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority, for his leadership in regional integration efforts. She highlighted the AFC Meeting's role in implementing programs and projects within the commission.
"Our meeting will enable us to review the implementation of the programs and projects," she said. "This will enable us to assess the level of execution...so that we can agree on measures to be taken."
She also noted upcoming activities for 2025: "In 2025, our organization will celebrate its 50th Anniversary...to launch a series of activities to commemorate the Golden Jubilee throughout 2025."
Ambassador Olawale Emmanuel Awe declared the meeting open on behalf of Nigerian leadership. He stressed collective efforts towards achieving regional development goals: "We need to work more...it is imperative to reinforce our collective efforts."
Professor Nazifi Abdullahi Darma urged participants to ensure budget proposals align with set objectives without gaps jeopardizing success.
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