Ecowas Leaders Approve 63 Million U.S.$ to Support Security Sector Reforms in Guinea Bissau

25 March 2011
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Economic Community of West African States (Abuja)
press release

Abuja - Nigeria — ECOWAS Heads of State and Government have approved the provision of some 63 million US dollar to Guinea Bissau as part of the organization's contribution to the implementation of the Defence and Security Sector Reform Programme in that country.

The approval is part of the outcome of the two-day summit of ECOWAS leaders in Abuja which ended on Thursday, 24th March 2011. They also approved the deployment of a Security Assistance Team (SAT) to Guinea Bissau which will assist with the establishment of Formed Police units to protect VIPs, the protection of national institutions, the security and protection of the National Commission of Inquiry as well as the protection of witnesses for the Commission.

Similarly, they approved the re-enforcement of the Office of the Special representative of the President of the ECOWAS Commission in Guinea Bissau and empowered it to coordinate the operations of the SAT, in collaboration with the Community of Portuguese Speaking Language Countries (CPLP). The operations would include demobilization and recruitment, training, reintegration and reconversion, renovation of barracks, institutional support and a pension fund for ex-service men.

The regional leaders urged Member States to provide, on bilateral basis, further assistance to the Armed Forces of Guinea Bissau. Such assistance is expected to include training on peace support operations (PSOs) and training slots for Defence and Staff colleges to include junior staff and basic and NCO courses The Heads of State and Government also approved 30 million US dollars in support of an emergency power supply programme to the City of Conakry, the capital of Guinea.

The amount, which is an initial contribution to fast track the launching of emergency actions, is part of an estimated 108 million US dollars to cover power supply to Conakry. ECOWAS is providing 10 million US dollars as grant-in-aid and the balance of 20 million US dollars as a loan on favourable terms which will be specified in the Financial Assistance Agreement soon to be signed between the Government of Guinea and the ECOWAS Commission and the West Africa Power Pool (WAPP), one of the organization's specialized agencies on energy.

Read the original article on Ecowas.

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