Second ECOWAS-China Economic Forum to Hold in Ghana

29 February 2012
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Economic Community of West African States (Abuja)
press release

Abuja - Nigeria — Ghana will host the second edition of the ECOWAS-China forum between 20-21 March 2012 in Accra, Ghana, during which private sector operators will seek to develop partnerships in six key areas mainly infrastructure development specifically roads, railways, housing, construction and transportation.

Other areas for collaboration are in the sectors of power, mining, agriculture, health care, pharmaceuticals and information and communication technology (ICT). China hosted the inaugural edition of the forum between 23rd and 26th September 2008. The Economic and Trade Forum seeks to maximize the inflow of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from China into ECOWAS countries; attract long-term concessionary funds for developing public infrastructure; promote ECOWAS-China trade and, by extension, intra-ECOWAS trade; and extend the global reach of financial institutions in West Africa.

The ECOWAS Commission's high-level delegation to the Accra Forum will include the President and vice president, as well as representatives of West African governments and institutions. Representatives of six prominent Chinese institutions, including the Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and the China-Africa Development Fund will attend this second forum.

In June 2011, a high-level ministerial delegation led by the President of the ECOWAS Commission, His Excellency James Victor Gbeho visited China during which they presented critical integration projects mainly in Ghana and Sierra Leone to the Government of the Peoples Republic of China, the EXIMBANK of China, China Development Bank and the China African Fund. In addition, the delegation discussed with ECOWAS ambassadors in China as well as the China CAMC engineering Co Ltd., the China Gezhouba group, and also visited Hubei provincial government, and the Wuhan municipal and Silchuan provincial governments to showcase investment opportunities in the ECOWAS region and regional integration projects. The achievements of that visit included the signing of several memoranda of understandings and contracts between key Chinese institutions and the governments of Ghana, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.

The ECOWAS-China collaboration is the first of its kind in Africa and the ECOWAS Commission is determined to realize the full potentials of this unique partnership.

Read the original article on Ecowas.

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