ECOWAS, China agree on strategy for cooperation

The agreement was reached on Monday during a working visit to the ECOWAS Commission Abuja headquarters by a three-member Chinese delegation led by Mr. Lu Shaye, Director General, African Affairs Department, in the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.This comes barely a month after both parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) under which China will […]

The agreement was reached on Monday during a working visit to the ECOWAS Commission Abuja headquarters by a three-member Chinese delegation led by Mr. Lu Shaye, Director General, African Affairs Department, in the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
This comes barely a month after both parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) under which China will provide $5million in deployable headquarters equipment to the ECOWAS Standby Force (ESF).
Also at the meeting, China offered $200,000 in capacity building support to ECOWAS, one of the five priorities identified by the delegation, to enable the organisation realize the objective of its on-going institutional reform and repositioning for greater efficiency. Lu called for increased cooperation with ECOWAS to strengthen the ESF through personnel training, joint exercises and material assistance.
Other areas identified by the delegation included enhanced political cooperation, peace and security, the fight against terrorism and transnational crime, economy and expansion of trade, which has reached about $33 billion between ECOWAS and the country. Vice President the Commission, Dr .Toga Gayewea McIntosh, who led the ECOWAS’ delegation lauded the growing relationship with China covering cooperation with member states and the community. He recalled the recent visit of a Chinese technical team to West Africa in February to evaluate portions of the regional coastal road corridor that require the country’s support for rehabilitation.