ECA / Mano River Union - Towards the Adoption of a Cooperation Agreement

8 February 2017

Freetown (Sierra Leone) — A team from the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) led by the Director of the Sub-Regional Office for West Africa (SRO-WA), Mr. Dimitri Sanga, conducted a mission to Sierra Leone on February 6 - 8, at the headquarters of the Mano River Union Secretariat (MRU).

Objective: explore ways of institutionalising an official frame of reference for cooperation between the Sub-Regional Office for West Africa of the Economic Commission for Africa and the Mano River Union in order to adopt a series of shared actions on a multi-year basis to strengthen regional integration.

This visit formed part of the implementation of the commitment of the ECA to work towards strengthening cooperation with the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and the Intergovernmental Organisations (IGOs) for greater synergy in their interventions was the opportunity for both institutions to engage in detailed and valuable discussions notably on the following points: the institutional revitalisation of the Mano River Union Secretariat; peace, security and social development for the Mano River region; regional integration in terms of infrastructures (transportation, energy, mines, etc.), statistics, research and planning for development.

For the Director of the Sub-Regional Office for West Africa (SRO-WA), Mr. Dimitri Sanga, the formalisation of cooperation between the ECA and the MRU is an important step towards the creation of synergies in the interventions of the United Nations at the regional level in general and in the Mano River area in particular.

On his part, the Deputy Secretary General in charge of the Administration of the MRU, Mr. Koffi Kouman, considered that this meeting was very timely not only to assist his Institution to efficiently accompany Member States in their structural transformation processes but also to develop a management plan for the long-term operational and financial autonomy of the MRU Secretariat.

Lastly, this meeting enabled both institutions to undertake to conduct joint activities and to consolidate their institutional framework of cooperation through the signature, in the next few days, of a cooperation agreement between the Sub-Regional Office for West Africa of the ECA and the Mano River Union.

For more information, please contact:

Gabguidi Ochozias, SRI, Section Head ECA- SRO/WA, mob : +227 92 19 57 62, Email : GOchozias@uneca.org

ourTahirou Gouro, Communications Officer, ECA- SRO/WA, mob : +227 90 99 99 39, Email : tgouro@uneca.org,

Tagged:

AllAfrica publishes around 500 reports a day from more than 100 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.