The Nation Newspaper

Tag: ECOWAS

  • ECOWAS mourns former Sierra Leonean President

    The President of the ECOWAS Commission, Mr Kadré Ouédraogo has commiserated with the government and people of Sierra Leone on the passing away of their former President, Mr Ahmad Kabbah.

    “On behalf of the community, I wish convey our sincere condolences to the family, the government and people of Sierra Leone as they mourn a great son of West Africa,’’ Ouédraogo said.

    A statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja by the ECOWAS spokesman, Mr Sunny Ugoh, said that Kabbah died at the age of 82.

    Ouédraogo said that the former President would be fondly remembered for successfully leading the country at a very delicate period in its history.

    “He deployed his vast experiences in the UN system in managing the country’s economic challenges and political upheaval,’’ it said.

    The statement quoted him as also saying that the region recalled how he guided the nation through the process of national reconciliation and recovery after a devastating civil war.

    Ouédraogo urged the people of Sierra Leone to build on the legacy of the late President.

  • Where are the soldiers?

    Where are the soldiers?

    The Nigerian military since inception has proven not only to be a good, effective and efficient fighting machine but also a strong vehicle for national unity and cohesion. When the country was on the verge of disintegration following the crises that led to the unfortunate 30-month civil war, it was the patriotic soldiers that fought to hold us together. The patriotic slogan then was ‘To keep Nigeria one is a task that must be done’ and the Khaki boys were up to that task.

    When the likes of the murderous Maitatsine religious sect decided to strike in Kano and later Maiduguri in the 80s, the military moved swiftly to wipe them away from the face of the earth so to speak and Nigerians heaved a sigh of relief.

    Even across our borders in the ECOWAS sub region in the 90s, the Nigerian military proved its mettle first in Sierra Leone and most importantly Liberia where a band of rebels had moved in from the bush to destabilize the legitimate governments. Leading soldiers from other West African countries under a sub regional military group called ECOMOG, the members of the Nigerian armed forces drawn from the Army, Navy and Air Force fought heroically to restore peace to the two countries and saved West Africa from a crisis that could destabilize the entire sub region.

    Let’s forget about what went into those wars in terms of human and material resources and who got what and not, the fact was that even opponents of the Liberian/Sierra Leonean adventure by the Nigerian Military were proud of our boys even if they failed to openly admit it.

    The roles our boys have played in peacekeeping operations around the world have earned praise for Nigeria not only from the United Nations but also other big players in the international arena including the United States.

    With all these domestic and international accomplishments not a few Nigerians believed that our military could rank among the medium powers in the world in terms fighting capability and efficiency. I remember Babangida’s Foreign Minister, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi even floating the idea of what he called a ‘Concert of Medium Powers’ to bring together those countries that are slightly below the two super powers of that era and their allies. He believed Nigeria qualified to be in that league; not many argued with him. The belief then was that we could take on and crush any opposition at least in the sub region, and if push comes to shove, our military could raise our flag high even in the continent.

    Between that time and now a lot has happened to our military as a fighting machine and in the last four years or so the Boko Haram insurgency has really exposed or rather confirmed the fears of most patriots that the Nigerian Military is no longer what it used to be.

    Since the insurgency began somewhere in Bauchi State in the north east some four years ago, the terrorists have been waxing stronger and stronger and the Nigerian military seemingly unable to contain let alone crush them.

    Each time I hear stories of how armed insurgents drove into villages in convoys and spending hours unchallenged killing and maiming innocent people my heart cuts and I ask, where are the soldiers? Sometime in 2012 I went round the country campaigning in the run up to the then upcoming national elections of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ). Nowhere in that region was as militarized as Borno and Yobe States yet the insurgents were still able to sneak and cause death and destruction.

    In Yobe State as you approach Damaturu, Potiskum and such other big settlements there are military check points at almost 200 metres interval and you have the impression that if this is replicated in almost all parts of the state then the people are or should be safe. The same situation is obtainable in Borno and lately Adamawa State. So, when one now hears that Boko Haram insurgents have struck again and our soldiers were nowhere to be found one gets confused. It is more confusing when one throws the Air Force into the equation and one begins to wonder how could a band of at best rag tag insurgents operate in a place for hours and our fighter jets or helicopter gunships could not go there to bomb them. Where is the pride of the Nigerian Air Force if it cannot police our air space and pick out enemies from the air, especially in the desert and destroy them?

    When vehicles move in convoys, especially in the desert and in day light, they can easily be spotted even at night and should be easy targets. Markudi where the Air Force Tactical Air Command is located should be within two minutes flying distance to anywhere in the North West for our fighter jet. So, even if NAF cannot put them on ground at Maiduguri Airport or Air Force base for whatever reason, its pilots should be able to reach and bomb any target from Markudi within seconds. Why are we not doing this?

    All militaries in the world rely heavily on air power to subdue their opponents in any warfare whether conventional or not. The Air Force is regarded as the teeth of the armed forces; go in there, subdue the opponent, then the foot soldiers (Army) can then move in and finish the task. Where are the teeth of our own armed forces in this battle against terror? Where is the Nigerian Air Force in the war against Boko Haram?

    It is easy to blame the Babangida era for the rot in the Nigerian Air Force and to some extent the rest of the armed forces, but then we have had 15 years of civilian rule during which if we are serious, we would have rebuild our armed forces to such an effective fighting machine capable of routing irritants such as Boko Haram in a matter of weeks. But here we are, four years or so on and we can seem to make any head way.

    Until we address the problem of the Nigerian military the war on terror especially against Boko Haram would be difficult to win. It is not just about personnel alone, what kind of training are we giving them? The war on terror is not a conventional one and we need to master the tricks of the terrorists and outwit them before we can defeat them. Let’s not play politics with this war, it is not President Goodluck Jonathan’s war or his problem, it is our problem, our war and together we must fight it and win.

     

  • ECOWAS Commission lauded for promoting regional integration

    The Benin Republic Minister for Economy and Finance, Mr. Jonas Gbian, has commended the collaborative efforts of the ECOWAS Commission and its member states in promoting integration.

    This is contained in a statement issued on Monday in Abuja by the Commission’s Acting Director of Communication, Mr Sunny Ugoh.

    The statement quoted Gbian as making the commendation in Ouidah, Benin Republic, during the 9th Benin National Integration Week.

    He noted that the integration week which started on Feb. 25, had created among others, a better understanding of the regional Protocol on Free Movement of Persons and Goods.

    The statement said that the minister, who was represented by his Director of Cabinet, Mr Adjovi Servais, applauded the foresight of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government.

    It said that Gbian applauded their foresight, especially in helping to galvanise different sectors of the economies of member states around integration issues.

    The Minister called on his compatriots, especially inhabitants of the coastal region, to maximise the opportunity provided by the Week to embrace the integration vision of ECOWAS.

    The Benin Ministry of Economy and Finance introduced the National Week of Integration in 2004 as part of effort to promote regional integration by the community’s citizens, in line with the ECOWAS mandate.

  • ECOWAS: Easy movement still a mirage

    ECOWAS: Easy movement still a mirage

    It was around 8pm. The whole area was pitch dark except foe the flicker of flame from the makeshift bush lamp. The Beninese gendarme officer flashed his touch at the document I was presenting to him. Muttered some unintelligible words in French and said 1,000 franc with a kind of imperial finality and sauntered back to his chair on the other side of the road.

    We waited for about 10 minutes expecting him to wave us to continue our journey, but it was as if we did not exist. Finally, we were forced to give him the money he demanded. Later, the barrier was removed from the blocked international expressway and we were permitted to continue with our journey.

    The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has been in existence for almost 40 years. The agenda was to foster greater relationship among the citizens of the member states. But how has these lofty objectives been achieved. This informed the recent trip from Nigeria to Abidjan by road to look at the challenges citizens from some of these countries face in their bid to move freely. The opportunity came as a result of the invitation to participate in the 2014 Salon International Du Tourisme (SITA).

    Nigeria

    As it has been for so many years now, different arms of law enforcement agencies litter the Lagos Badagry-Express way, Lagos. Since we were leaving the country, none of these agencies stopped us on the way. But the bad road was hell. We spent about three hours between Lagos and Seme borders.

    Seme Border

    Anybody that has had cause to use the border would understand this narration. Seme border is a study in deliberate confusion. Despite the fact that the travel team had a covering note from one of the countries, it mattered for nothing. There is a standard fee that anybody passing the border would pay to have his or her passport stamped.

    By the time we finished with the immigration, the health officials were waiting for us asking us to obtain a yellow card before leaving. I protested, telling them that Nigeria does not demand yellow cards from their citizens before they travel, and that it was only the host country that they wished to travel to that could demand yellow fever vaccination cards before allowing them entry into the country. It was not as if they would give a vaccination card to any body that request. It was all about the two thousand naira they were collecting.

    Finishing with them, the NDLEA was waiting. They simply asked that we should pay them so that they would do their job. I told them they should do it since we were not carrying any hard drug. But other members of the team told us that if we allowed them to conduct the search, we end up having to buy many of our personal effects. They were paid. One of the officers of the immigration took it upon himself to help us process our papers. It turned out to be bad news as he was the one that discovered that our driver’s travel papers were not complete.

    The Nigeria-Seme border is so programmed that an average traveller is confused with the different document demands.

    Benin Republic

    Driving through Benin Republic was interesting, especially within Cotonou. Seeing the swarms of motorcyclists, men and women, old and young meandering and outwitting one another on bike as they made their way towards their destinations.

    It turned horrifying as a vehicle knocked down a cyclists. The unfortunate cyclist was knocked off the bike, hitting his head on the hard asphalt surface. He had a nasty gash on the head. Blood gushed out of his head. He was stone dead.

    An interesting thing at the accident scene was that unlike in many places in Nigeria , nobody tried to molest or lynch him. The car driver in confusion was running aimlessly with tears streaming down his cheeks. The bystanders advised him to head to the police station. However, unlike in Nigeria where many would rush to the accident victim most time to see how they might help, nothing of such happened. People were just watching the scene from a distance

    Despite the fact it was getting to late evening, there were other interesting sights like the vendor on the expressway road passionately pleading with us to buy the antelope he killed in the bush. Our first problem with the vehicle was within the Ouidah, the ancient slave town. The international expressway after Cotonou is under construction so the road was diverted through Ouidah. The bus engine was overheating and we had to stop. One of the belts was not working well. This was fixed by a local who charged us next to nothing. It was after that we had the experience with the nasty gendarme and his clique who were simply there to “rob” local and international passengers of their money.

    At Havillah Condji border, we were told straight away that we would pay a thousand French Franc to have our passports stamped. Those that had no passports paid 500 West African French franc. When I asked why such an amount of money was collected from me, I was told it was the first time I was passing through the border with my passport.

    Togo

    Our team got to Togo relatively late. Maybe that was the reason the journey was seamless. At least that was how it seemed until we got to the Aflao border in Lome . We got there some minutes to 12 midnight, but were told that the gate had closed for the day. We had to spend the night on the premises of the Immigration Service of Togo and left the next morning.Our driver was told to pay 500 cedi without receipts and paid about 46 cedi as the amount to be paid into the bank.

    Inside Ghana, the journey was smooth until a place called Agbakume. The police stopped us and showed us a device reading 81. The police officer said our ds4river was speeding 81 kilometres on a 50 kilometres per hour expressway. All the pleading made little impression on the officer. He wrote us a ticket after collecting the documents of the driver and directed us to their office. There, we were threatened with a court action, and, of course, the delay that came with it. We were forced to part with N3,000.

    I used to think that Ghana was a small country before this trip. Driving from the Eastern Region of Ghana to the border with Cote I’Ivoire in Western Region took a whole day. But the countryside was beautiful. From Ghana to Takoradi was about five hours. Unfortunately, a petrol attendant poured diesel into our petrol engine bus. We were lucky no damage was done to the engine before it was detected. We had to spend three extra hours in Takoradi while the diesel was drained and we replaced it with petroleum.

    The attendant was asked why he did that considering the fact that the driver was shouting “fuel” to him. Full of apologies, the young man explained that most of the Toyota 15-sitter high roof buses in Ghana go on diesel and that those buying premium motor spirit usually say petrol and not fuel.

    When we got to Takoradi in the Western Region of Ghana, we had the belief that Cote I’Ivoire border was a stone throw. We were wrong. Between Takoradi and the border town of Elubo was more than five hours. The worst was that the road was terribly in a bad shape. Our vehicle broke down twice and we had to sleep on the road. The good news is that it it being expanded by a Chinese construction company. Due to the nature of the terrain, it would take time before it is completed.

    Elubo, the border town between Ghana and Cote I’Ivoire, was not as busy as Seme, Havillah Condji or Aflao. It was the easiest because we were going for the programme in Abidjan and the officials at the border were trying to be good hosts. However, they never failed to show their disdain whenever I told them I couldn’t speak French. Some deliberately refused to communicate with me in the English language.

    Although the ECOWAS, the sub-regional organisation, has been around for close to 40 years, the truth is that movement among member states is still very difficult. There are many reasons. Many are poor and uneducated and as such find it difficult putting together all the necessary documents. The officials used that as an excuse to collect money from them.

    The Nigeria/Seme border as earlier mentioned, is the worst. The officials take a kind of greedy pleasure to collect money in different guises.

    The issue of yellow card is another problem at the border. Most of the border officials see it as a means of making money. They issue yellow cards at all these borders without vaccinating people. The only place where there were facilities for on the spot vaccination was at the Cote I’Ivoire point of entry.

    There is this mutual distrust by government officials of these countries whenever they see visitors from others. They are seen as opportunity to make money rather genuine guests that should be offered good service. The governments of member-states still have a lot to do to solve this problem of movement among citizens of member-states. Unless this is solved, the quest for regional economic integration will be a mirage.

     

  • Stakeholders urge supports for West African capital market integration

    • Integration opens up N187tr regional market to companies, investors

    The integration of the capital markets of West African countries would open up immense opportunities for corporate and national developments and enhance the capabilities of capital market operators within the region.

    All stakeholders at the weekend extolled the benefits of the regional capital market integration programme at a sensitization workshop organized by the West African Capital Markets Integration Council (WACMIC) in Abuja.

    The West African Capital Market Integration (WACMI) programme seeks to fully integrate the existing securities exchanges in Nigeria-Nigerian Stock Exchange; Ghana-Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE), Sierra Leone-Sierra Leone Stock Exchange and the bloc of eight francophone countries under the Bourse Regionale des Valuers Mobilieres (BRVM).

    WACMI entails integration of listing, trading and settlement rules in a way that allows capital market operators and investors to trade across the markets. Any company with primary listing in any of the country will be able to raise capital across the markets.

    Chairman, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Dr. Suleyman Ndanusa, said the sub-regional markets would be able to better optimize their potentials and competitiveness through the integration.

    According to him, the integration will clearly broaden the capital raising space for listed companies with positive impact on industrial development.

    “I believe that access to a wider market which integration provides could encourage more companies to embrace the capital market for funds and listing and further deepen the regional markets. Integration could also bring increased visibility to listed companies and market operators as their activities get to be known and publicized across the region which, hopefully, would impact on their operations,” Ndanusa said.

    Chairman, Senate Committee on Capital Market, Senator Ayo Adeseun, assured that the Nigerian legislature and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) parliament will support the integration with appropriate legislations to ensure the seamless legal and regulatory frameworks.

    President, Ecowas Commission, Kadre Ouedraogo, outlined that the capital market integration was in line with Article 2 of the Ecowas Treaty and urged national authorities, regulators and other stakeholders to fast-track efforts to complete the integration.

    He noted that the integration bring together some 300 million potential investors and a more efficient and deeper market that would benefit the regional economy and the citizenry.

    He assured that that Ecowas will intensify efforts to realize other complementary financial projects including settlement and payment systems and investment bank.

    Chairman, West African Capital Markets Integration Council (WACMIC), Mr. Oscar Onyema, said the first phase of the integration is expected to kick-off by March 2014 through a ‘sponsored access’ mechanism which will allow brokers within the member countries to trade and settle securities in other markets through local brokers.

    He pointed out that with the integration of the NSE, GSE and BRVM, investors, issuers and operators will have access to a market in excess of $120 billion with some 300 listed companies.

    Onyema, who is chief executive officer of the NSE, said the full integration is expected to conclude by December 2015, under which brokers can trade directly on any of the stock exchanges from any location within the region.

     

     

     

  • NEPC to increase export of selected produce by 30%

    NEPC to increase export of selected produce by 30%

    The Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on expansion of agricultural produce by increasing exportation of selected products by 30 per cent in the next three years.

    NEPC’s Executive Director, Olusegun Awolowo, spoke in Abuja yesterday during the signing of the MoU.

    He said the partnership would aid the increase of exports of selected products by 30 per cent over three years.

    Awolowo said: “NEPC will develop export development strategies for priority value chains. Through jointly sponsored training, under Nigeria Expanded Trade and Transport (NEXTT), export-ready firms will be supported to exploit export opportunities in targeted value chains.

    “The partnership will also provide technical and capacity building support to a network of business development service providers serving non-oil export firms.

     

    “The idea is to create a synergy between USAID and NEPC. There are several formal trading links within the Economic of West African States (ECOWAS) region which have not been captured; and the government is not just losing in finance but in data capturing.”

    The USAID Nigerian Country Director Mr Michael Harvey said the agency shared the same commitment with the NEPC to see that Nigeria advance in the diversification of its non-oil economy and take advantage of the African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA).

     

  • ECOWAS okays $50m for Lagos-Abidjan road

    ECOWAS okays $50m for Lagos-Abidjan road

    The Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has approved $50 million as the contributory fund for the feasibility studies and design of the six-lane Lagos-Abidjan highway.

    The decision was taken at a meeting of ECOWAS ministers of Works and Infrastructure, chaired by President Goodluck Jonathan, on the sidelines of the 22nd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

    The Chairman of the Ministerial Project Steering Committee and Minister of Works Mike Onolememen said the $50 million would be contributed by the ECOWAS members to ensure that work on the project begins by the first quarter.

    He said $16 million was expected from the African Development Bank (AfDB), since the fund for the design and feasibility studies would be in excess of $50 million contributory fund from ECOWAS member-states.

    The Lagos-Abidjan road will transverse Ghana, Benin Republic and Togo.

    Onolememen said: “The feasibility studies are in excess of $50 million. So, the AfDB offered the remaining $16 million for the design.

    “For the full design to be paid for, we look forward to more funds from development partners and multinational agencies. But to show commitment from member-states, that is why we are requesting for the seed money of $50 million.”

    The minister told reporters after the meeting that when completed, the project would achieve proper regional integration and open up the sub-region for commerce.

    He said: “For instance, you can imagine what a six-lane dual carriageway leading from Lagos to Abidjan and, in future, from Abidjan to Dakar, will do for the economy of the sub-region; it will transform its economy.

    “Nigeria provides 50 per cent of the population of the sub-region. So, that means manufacturers and our businessmen and entrepreneurs will have unfettered access to the markets of the ECOWAS. That is one of the achievements this project will deliver, besides bringing about better integration between nations and nationalities of member-states.”

  • ECOWAS approves $50m for Lagos-Abidjan road’s feasibility studies

    The Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have approved the sum of $50 million as contributory fund for the feasibility studies and design of the six lanes Lagos-Abidjan highway project.
    The decision was taken during a meeting of ECOWAS Ministers of Works and Infrastructure chaired by President Goodluck Jonathan on the sidelines of the ongoing 22nd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
    The Chairman of the Ministerial Project Steering Committee and Nigeria’s Minister of Works, Mike Onolememen, said the $50 million to be contributed by the ECOWAS states was to ensure that work on the road project start in earnest by the first quarter of this year.
    He said that additional sum $16 million is expected from African Development Bank since the fund for the design and feasibility studies would be in excess of $50 million contributory fund from ECOWAS States.
    The Lagos- Abidjan road when completed would transverse Ghana, Benin Republic and Togo.
    He said: “The feasibility studies are going so far in excess of $50 million dollars. So the AfDB offered that they have this money, that is the remaining 16 million US dollars to contribute towards raising the total money for the design”
    “Now for the full design to be paid for, we actually look forward to getting additional funds from development partners and multinational agencies. But to show commitment from member-states, that is why we are requesting for the seed money of $50 million.”
    He told Journalists after the meeting that that the project when completed would achieve proper regional integration in West Africa and also open up the sub- region for commerce.

  • AFRIMA’s New York concert holds July

    AFRIMA’s New York concert holds July

    L-R: Regional Director and Co-Producer, Micheal Strano, CEO, PRM-Africa and Executive Producer AFRIMA, Mike Dada, Co-Producer, Petra Seseli and Director Brand Communication and-Sponsorship, Matlou-Tsotetsi

    THE race to impress has begun for PRMAfrica, the consultancy company that won the right to host the much-anticipated All Africa Music Award (AFRIMA) for Nigeria.

    According to the organizers, the first in the lineup of activities that will culminate in the maiden edition of the award show in October is the ‘On the Way to AFRIMA Concert’ scheduled to take place in July in New York, USA.

    Scheduled as part of the series of high-value concerts billed for major African and international cities, the New York event will be the first to hold outside the continent in the run up to AFRIMA 2014, which will be hosted in Lagos, Nigeria, come October.

    The organizers further revealed that the concert is part of the awareness and razzmatazz built around AFRIMA for Africans in the Diaspora and the international communities.

    The road show, according to Mr. Mike Dada, CEO of PRMAfrica and Executive Producer of AFRIMA, is expected to continue in other cities, including Douala, Kampala, Dakar, London, Paris and Johannesburg.

    According to him, the New York concert will hold at the prestigious 15,000- capacity Barclays Arena, the landmark indoor entertainment space in Brooklyn, New York, where international music superstars like Beyonce, Jay Z and Youssou N’Dour have played. The arena also hosted the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards and is a regular venue for the NBA games.

    Nigeria, last year, won the hosting right for the award for five consecutive years, having defeated South Africa, Namibia, Gabon and Kenya.

    The delegates were a mix bag of professionals in music, entertainment, marketing and media, representing SADC, the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), Arab Maghreb Union (AMU) and ECOWAS countries.

    Last week, a foremost US-based live event production team visited the Nigeria office of PRMAfrica. The visit may not be unconnected with possible partnership for New York concert.

    However, Dada, who would not disclose details of the meeting, stated that “All I can say is that we are excited that the momentum is building for 2014 AFRIMA. Many stakeholders and practitioners in the music industry, both within Africa and outside the continent, are already contacting us to be a part of this ennobling awards project.

    “The pool of the Africans in the Diaspora living in the US is staggering and adds to the number of non-African fans that the continent’s music artistes have in America. So, with this, you’ll get a better understanding of why the New York leg of ‘On the Way to AFRIMA Concert’ must hold in a venue like Barclays Arena”, said Ms. Adenrele Niyi, AFRIMA programme director.

    According to Niyi, “The concert is going to feature 80 percent performances from some of our best talents in Africa and 20 percent performances from international artistes. Our host for the concert will certainly be one of the top names from contemporary pop culture or TV/movie. We are in talks with artistes’ managements and the artistes too. It is guaranteed that this concert, as well as other aspects of AFRIMA 2014, will be memorable.”

    AFRIMA’s Co-producer and regional director, East Africa, Mr. Michael Strano, reiterated the uniqueness of the awards. “The African continent has had her fair share of awards events. However, AFRIMA stands out by being the only one that will honour music professionals who operate behind the scene hitherto ignored, perhaps, because other event organisers largely see their activities as trivial. For the first time, honour will be accorded to song writers and music/entertainment journalists,” he said.

    If the vision of the creators is anything to go by, then, AFRIMA is expected to provide opportunities to showcase the strength of Africans for global competitiveness and project their musical and cultural values in an unambiguous manner that reflects the continent’s heritage and bright future.

    PRMAfrica has also assured that the live awards event will be broadcast to 700 million viewers across the world on 109 TV stations in 84 countries.

  • Japan to partner ECOWAS on peace, security

    Japan to partner ECOWAS on peace, security

    The Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, on Friday in Abidjan, said Japan would partner with West African leaders to promote peace and security in the sub-region through dialogue.
    Abe, who spoke at the opening of a meeting with ECOWAS Heads of Government, said promoting peace and security in the sub-region would give fillip to economic activities and boost development.
    He said the need to promote peace and security in West Africa had become crucial due to its strategic place in global economy.
    Abe added that Japan, being a long standing friend to many countries in the sub-region, would continue to engage in issues that would promote economic development.
    The prime minister said Japan was ready to mobilise massive investments in the sub-region to boost its economic fortune.
    He noted that “Japan is ready to cooperate with governments in the West African sub-region toward facilitating Japanese investments.
    “We will encourage our investors to invest in opportunities in the countries in the region.’’
    In his address, the Chairman of ECOWAS Heads of Government, President Alassane Ouattara of Cote D’ivoire, said West Africa was blessed with investment opportunities capable of triggering sustainable economic developments.
    Ouattara said ECOWAS member states were ready to work with Japan toward deepening economic integration and cooperation that would be mutually beneficial.
    “ECOWAS member states see Japan’s interest in the sub-region as a welcome development. It is our hope that we will enjoy mutually-beneficial relationship,’’ Ouattara said.
    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Abe’s visit was the first from a Japanese Head of Government to Africa in the past eight years.
    The prime minister’s decision to visit Africa was taken in June 2013 at the Africa-Japan Summit in Tokyo.