At the conclusion of the 6th meeting of the Coordination and Collaboration Platform of Regional Economic Communities (RECs) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, H.E. Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission, officially handed over leadership to H.E. Workneh Gebeyehu, Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). This transition marks IGAD's new role as head of the coordination platform for RECs in Africa.
The meeting brought together leaders from various regional economic communities, including ECOWAS, UMA, COMESA, CEN-SAD, ECCAS, EAC, IGAD, and SADC. Discussions covered several topics such as implementing recommendations from a previous meeting held in Accra in July 2024 and resource mobilization strategies.
In his closing remarks, Dr. Touray reflected on ECOWAS' achievements during its tenure. "Since February 2024," he stated, "we have witnessed remarkable progress in promoting regional integration, cooperation and development across our Member States." He emphasized efforts made to strengthen unity and address challenges within African regions.
During its mandate, ECOWAS completed significant initiatives like signing rules of procedure at a coordination meeting in Accra and launching an inter-REC website to promote platform activities. The organization also fostered collaboration by hosting delegations from other RECs such as EAC and ECCAS.
IGAD reciprocated this collaborative spirit by hosting an ECOWAS delegation for a benchmarking exercise on human mobility amid climate change concerns. Additionally, ECOWAS visited SADC to learn about its successful EU pillar assessment strategies.
Key participants included Commissioner Abdel Fatau Musah responsible for Political Affairs at ECOWAS; Honourable Abdou Kolley; Mr. Cyriaque Agnekethom; Mr. Jérôme Boa; among others involved with technical aspects at the commission level.
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