Yamousoukro - Cote d'Ivoire — Transport and Energy stakeholders from the ECOWAS Member States and officials of the African Development Bank (AfDB) have identified the major considerations that should guide the actualization of the ECOWAS Fund for Development and Financing for Transport and Energy sectors (ECOWAS-FODETE) project.
At the end of a three-day workshop on 22nd September 2010, regional experts from the two sectors, heads of ECOWAS National Units, ECOWAS officials, the Working Committee of the President of the Republic of Cote d'Ivoire (CT-PRCI) and the AfDB delegation, agreed that the project should be implemented according to the content of the agreement signed between the AfDB and ECOWAS Commission for the financing of expenditures relating to the project. Consequently, they identified five priority areas that should facilitate this, including the provision of an operational institutional framework for the implementation of the project and the use of appropriate technical professionals for the various activities to be undertaken under the project. Additionally, they urged ECOWAS to examine the possibility of delegating the technical implementation of the project to the CT-PRCI due to their level of implication in the project. If accepted, they suggested the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding that will establish the level and terms of this delegation.
The AfDB also expects ECOWAS to finalize the Expression of Interest and the Request for Proposal (RFP) and submit to the bank for its concurrence as well as evaluate the submission of requests within the required deadline in the procurement plan. The bank agreed to follow up on the no objection request from ECOWAS in order to respect the deadlines indicated in the project procurement plan validated during the workshop. Following the launching of the ECOWAS-FODETE project in Yamoussoukro on Saturday, 18th September 2010, the workshop was organized by the AfDB to provide orientation for the officials of the ECOWAS-FODETE and other stakeholders on the bank's project implementation and management requirements. This will ensure transparency, equity, economy and efficiency of procurement processes and facilitate the withdrawal of funds provided by the bank for the payment of appropriate expenditures.
The workshop focused on three key areas such as the content of the AfDB's disbursement Handbook which explains the disbursement policies and procedures of the AfDB group, namely, The Project Cycle, Rules and Procedures for Procurement of Goods, Works and Consultancy as well as the Rules and Procedures for Payment and Financial Management. Mr. Celestin Talaki, ECOWAS Commissioner for Infrastructure, Mrs. Delesse Generosa of Cote d'Ivoire and Mr. Traore Bamory, Lead NEPAD-IPPF Specialist, led the ECOWAS Commission, the Presidential Working Committee of the President of the Republic of Cote d'Ivoire (CT-PRCI) and the AfDB delegations, respectively.
