The Economic Community of West African States has been given the sum of €81 million in funding from the Federal Republic of Germany to address issues such as insecurity, infrastructure deficits, and climate change.
The President of ECOWAS Commission, Omar Touray, shared this information during a press conference held in Abuja when he welcomed the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Olaf Scholz.
Chancellor Scholz’s visit to the ECOWAS Commission in Abuja, which began at 6:40 pm, marked his first visit to Nigeria since taking office in December 2021.
Touray mentioned that Germany has provided a total of €500 million in grant support to the region over the past decade.
He said, “Recently, we concluded an agreement to the tune of €81m that the government of Germany and the people of Germany have decided to grant ECOWAS to support in various areas.
“The grant will cover areas such as peaceful and inclusive society, climate and energy transition, sustainable and economic development, health, social protection and population. These are important sectors and we appreciate Germany for their support.
“The recent agreement has brought Germany’s support over a decade close to €500m.”
The President of the commission, though, pointed out that the region is grappling with insecurity and infrastructure deficiencies. He emphasized that ECOWAS and Germany are committed to tackling these challenges.
Touray said, “Your Excellency, during our discussion, we talked about the challenges that this region is facing such as insecurity, and infrastructure deficit. We have agreed to continue working together.
“Our regions are closely linked. What happens in one area affects the other and then we appreciate what Germany is doing individually and through the European Union for supporting this region.
“We are appreciative of the partnership that the region continues to enjoy with Germany and the EU, particularly in the area of peace and security, and strong governance.”
