Regional Integration: ECOWAS Reaffirms Commitment to Strengthening Partnership with UNIDO

The President of the ECOWAS Commission, H.E. Dr. Omar Alieu TOURAY, has reaffirmed ECOWAS’ determination and commitment towards strengthening ongoing partnership with UNIDO, especially in the areas of industrialisation and regional integration. He stated this on Tuesday 9 July 2024 at the ECOWAS Commission’s Headquarters, in Abuja, Nigeria during a meeting with the Deputy Director General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and Managing Director of the Directorate of Global Partnerships and External Relations, Ms. Fatou HAIDARA. 

Speaking on the ongoing cooperation with UNIDO, the President of the ECOWAS Commission assured of ECOWAS determination and commitment to move forward with the current partnership, particularly with regard to the implementation of the programme supported by the European Union. As part of efforts to enhance industrialisation and regional integration within the ECOWAS sub-region, H.E. Dr. Omar Alieu Touray noted that the Commission was working with Member States to improve their quality standards and competitiveness. “One area we are working on is standards and competitiveness. These are extremely important for our ECOWAS community. We cannot be competitive if our products do not meet global standards.”

H.E. Dr. Omar Alieu Touray emphasized the need for ECOWAS Member States to remain united and stay together as a family to maximise the benefits of free access to a large regional market which ECOWAS provides. “As partners, the role of UNIDO in this engagement is very important because the United Nations agencies can be viewed as impartial partners” said Dr Omar TOURAY.

The UNIDO Deputy Director General and Managing Director of the Directorate of Global Partnerships and External Relations, Ms. Fatou HAIDARA, on her part, commended ECOWAS for its continued support and pledged to collaborate more with the Commission to implement programmes that will foster industrialisation and regional integration among ECOWAS Member States. “My meeting with the President of the ECOWAS Commission, H.E. Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, was very important and timely because we have finalised and adopted our strategy for Africa with Member States. The core of our strategy is focused on private sector, capacity building of institutions and regional integration. These constitute the tools to implement our strategy for the region and we want to commend the leadership of the President of the ECOWAS Commission for his support”, Ms. Fatou HAIDARA said. She also stressed that regional integration is important for Africa’s development. The Deputy Director also pointed out that UNIDO has a commitment to the regional economic communities, and ECOWAS is one of them for the implementation of Agenda 2063.