Sal Island - Cape Verde — ECOWAS and Brazil have agreed on new initiatives that will boost their economic and political cooperation focusing on addressing the issues of poverty, food security, environment, renewable energy, capacity building and political dialogue. In a declaration at the end of a special summit of regional leaders and their Brazilian counterpart in Sal, Cape Verde, the two parties agreed to focus their political initiatives on the promotion of political dialogue, security collaboration, private sector partnerships, improving infrastructure, capacity building and cultural exchange.

By focusing on these priorities, the summit said both regions would be expanding, upgrading and strengthening their strategic partnership for our mutual benefit.' 'We express our common desire that by forging deeper ties between and ECOWAS, we would improve our capacities to cope with the development challenges, as well as to strengthen the political, social and economic institutions and the process of peace and stability-building, particularly in post-conflict countries', the parties said in the eight-page declaration at the end of the historic summit. Among the initiatives are the creation of a platform for political dialogue between them that will constitute 'a fundamental mechanism and example of South-South cooperation' an also enable them to collectively discuss and respond to international developments based on 'political equality, mutual trust, a common historical heritage and traditional relations.'

In this regard, they called for the urgent reform of the international financial system in order to make it fair, just and inclusive' and enable developing countries to be represented in the decision-making process of such institutions. The summit, a follow-up to the Africa-South America Summit held in Abuja in November 2006, agreed to progressively uphold and open fair and free trade and investment opportunities' through the promotion of two-way trade, investment and business development for their mutual benefit. They therefore undertook to create new investment opportunities through partnerships between businessmen from the two sides, particularly in the areas of bio fuels, industrial processing of agricultural products and tourism. In order to give expression to their proposed cooperation in the area of transport, the parties agreed to 'deepen their our cooperation in the area of air transport in order to improve regular air transport services between Brazil and ECOWAS Member States. Consequently, they directed the ECOWAS Commission and the relevant institutions in Brazil to convene a meeting of their national aviation authorities to discuss the modalities for such a cooperation including the expansion of existing air transport arrangements and the signing of new ones. Both parties also committed themselves to cooperate in the promotion of clean and sustainable energy and to support the activities of the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy, which is based in Praia, Cape Verde.

ECOWAS and Brazil have agreed on new initiatives that will boost their economic and political cooperation focusing on addressing the issues of poverty, food security, environment, renewable energy, capacity building and political dialogue. In a declaration at the end of a special summit of regional leaders and their Brazilian counterpart in Sal, Cape Verde, the two parties agreed to focus their political initiatives on the promotion of political dialogue, security collaboration, private sector partnerships, improving infrastructure, capacity building and cultural exchange. By focusing on these priorities, the summit said both regions would be expanding, upgrading and strengthening their strategic partnership for our mutual benefit.' 'We express our common desire that by forging deeper ties between and ECOWAS, we would improve our capacities to cope with the development challenges, as well as to strengthen the political, social and economic institutions and the process of peace and stability-building, particularly in post-conflict countries', the parties said in the eight-page declaration at the end of the historic summit. Among the initiatives are the creation of a platform for political dialogue between them that will constitute 'a fundamental mechanism and example of South-South cooperation' an also enable them to collectively discuss and respond to international developments based on 'political equality, mutual trust, a common historical heritage and traditional relations.'

In this regard, they called for the urgent reform of the international financial system in order to make it fair, just and inclusive' and enable developing countries to be represented in the decision-making process of such institutions. The summit, a follow-up to the Africa-South America Summit held in Abuja in November 2006, agreed to progressively uphold and open fair and free trade and investment opportunities' through the promotion of two-way trade, investment and business development for their mutual benefit. They therefore undertook to create new investment opportunities through partnerships between businessmen from the two sides, particularly in the areas of bio fuels, industrial processing of agricultural products and tourism. In order to give expression to their proposed cooperation in the area of transport, the parties agreed to 'deepen their our cooperation in the area of air transport in order to improve regular air transport services between Brazil and ECOWAS Member States. Consequently, they directed the ECOWAS Commission and the relevant institutions in Brazil to convene a meeting of their national aviation authorities to discuss the modalities for such a cooperation including the expansion of existing air transport arrangements and the signing of new ones. Both parties also committed themselves to cooperate in the promotion of clean and sustainable energy and to support the activities of the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy, which is based in Praia, Cape Verde.