As the 94th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers concluded on Friday in Abuja, Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the Council, Yusuf Tuggar, has charged the respective governments of member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), to implement the decisions faithfully reached and adopted.
The meeting’s top agenda included insecurity, health, education, regional integration and food insecurity.
Although the resolutions were yet to be made public, Tuggar, however, disclosed that discussions at the two-day meeting demonstrated a collective resolve to address the “pressing challenges confronting the region, especially those that bear direct impact on the well-being of the citizens and long-term prosperity of our Member States.
“The conclusions reached during this meeting will no doubt contribute to the actualisation of the regional integration agenda of ECOWAS. It remains essential that we encourage our respective governments to faithfully implement the decisions we have adopted and to actively support the recommendations emerging from our discussions, pending the approval of the Authority of Heads of State and Government on matters that require such,” Tuggar said.
He noted that they have mapped out a clear strategy towards a more united region.
“Through our continued collaboration and shared commitment, we have set a clear and promising course towards a more unified and prosperous region. Two renowned scholars of trade in Africa described the continent’s Regional Economic Communities as the uncelebrated heroes of the effort to establish and utilise common arrangements for cross-border trade and related regional initiatives,” he said.
Tuggar, who has chaired the council for two years, informed that the endorsed agenda of the summit indicated an election of a new Chairman, Authority of Heads of State.
President Bola Tinubu has chaired the authority for two consecutive years. The election of a new chairman will consequently affect Tuggar’s position as chairman of the Council of Ministers.
“This may be my last Council Session as the Chair of this Council. Over the last two years, I enjoyed a very cordial working relationship with each one of you.
“I remain very grateful for your unalloyed support for the successes we recorded so far. I hope the same cooperation will be extended to whoever among us is taking over the leadership of this council”, Tuggar said.
