World Bank Group, ECOWAS and UEMOA to hold Second Tripartite Meeting on Regional Integration in West Africa

The World Bank Group, ECOWAS and UEMOA are holding their Second Tripartite Meeting in Accra, Ghana, during February 10-11, 2015, to deliberate on issues pertinent to the socio-economic development of the ECOWAS Sub-region.

The meeting will, among other things, review the status of implementation of the Abidjan Action Plan which was agreed during their first meeting in Abidjan in July 2013, and will focus on a number of key thematic areas such as Ebola, Agriculture, Regional Infrastructure and Cross Border Management.

According to Mr. Colin Bruce, World Bank Africa Region's Director responsible for Regional Integration, "Since we met in June 2013, we have made considerable progress in implementing our ambitious joint action plan in the six priority areas of Agriculture, Education, Trade and Trade Facilitation, Transport, Regional Investment Climate and the Sahel. Given the debilitating effect of Ebola on the sub-region, we shall spend ample time deliberating on how to mitigate its impact, particularly on the three countries most affected. We will also look at how to adjust our priorities to reflect changes in the sub-region and in the World more broadly."

It is hoped that by the end of the meeting, some very fruitful discussions would have taken place to identify a few transformational priorities, work programs, timelines and division of responsibilities during the next phase of this partnership.

"We look forward to deepening this collaboration between the World Bank Group, the ECOWAS and the UEMOA Commissions in addressing issues of common developmental interest to the sub-region," reiterated H.E. Kabre Desire Ouedraogo, President of the ECOWAS Commission.

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