The Head of State, Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, took part on Saturday June 29, 2019, in Abuja, Nigeria, in the work of the 55th ordinary session of the Conference of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS. This session, led by the outgoing president of the institution, the Nigerian Head of State Mahummadu Buhari, focuses on hot topics that shake the community space, on the economic, security and socio-political levels. The other highlight of this session was the election of the new current president of the sub-regional organization, the Nigerian Mahamadou Issoufou.

The 55th ordinary session of the Conference of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was held on Saturday in Abuja, Nigeria, in the presence of several Heads of State, including the Togolese, Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé. She addressed several topics of common interest. The Heads of State notably examined the reports of experts and members of the Ministerial Committee on the state of economic convergence, the exchange rate regime, the framework of monetary policies, the model of the Central Bank and the implementation of the provisions linked to the special fund for financing the roadmap for the single currency of the Community area.

The conference commended the ministerial committee for the significant progress made in the implementation of the roadmap, particularly with regard to the exchange rate regime, monetary policy and the choice of the name of the single currency. In this regard, it has adopted the flexible exchange rate regime, together with a monetary policy framework based on inflation targeting. It has also retained the term ECO for the name of the single currency of ECOWAS.

The Conference also considered issues related to the free movement of goods and people, the socio-political and security situation in the Member States.

The deliberations, which took place behind closed doors, also made it possible to elect the new current president of ECOWAS, in the person of President Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger.

At the end of the conference, the latter expressed his gratitude to his peers who brought him to the head of the Community. He also expressed his gratitude to his predecessor for his tireless efforts to resolve crises in space.

President Issoufou stressed that he will focus his mission on three main axes, including regional security, the consolidation of democratic institutions and economic integration.

Togo commended for full implementation of ECOWAS roadmap

Regarding the situation in the countries, the sub-regional organization welcomed the latest developments in the socio-political situation in Togo. She welcomed the adoption, unanimously by Togolese deputies, of the revised Constitution, which provides in particular for the limitation of the term of office of the President of the Republic to five years, renewable once. She congratulated the government for the effective implementation of the ECOWAS roadmap which has made it possible to resolve the Togolese political crisis.

ECOWAS also noted with satisfaction the smooth running of the process for the local elections of June 30, 2019, with the effective participation of the opposition. She therefore urged all stakeholders to work to guarantee peaceful elections to ensure a deeper anchoring of democracy in Togo.

Before the closed session, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Mr. Jean-Claude Kassi Brou and the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations for West Africa and the Sahel, Mr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, in turn, takes stock of their mission at the head of their respective institutions.

The work was also marked by the presentation of several ECOWAS prizes awarded to various personalities, some of them posthumously, for their contributions to the achievement of the objectives of the Community, in the fields of peace, security, health and art.

ECOWAS, an example in Africa

At the opening of the summit, the Nigerian Head of State, Muhammadu Buhari, welcomed the significant progress made in the areas of political governance, peace and security, both economically and socially. . This progress, he said, makes the ECOWAS region an enviable example of an economic community in Africa. President Buhari commended, in this regard, the individual and collective efforts made by his counterparts to maintain peace and security in their respective countries.

It should be noted that on his arrival as on his departure from Abuja, the President of the Republic was greeted by Nigerian officials. He received a standing ovation from the Togolese community residing in Nigeria, very strongly mobilized for the occasion.