MONROVIA, December 17 (LINA) – The Chair of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers, Liberia’s Foreign Minister has thanked her colleagues for the high level of engagement, candid and insightful inputs during deliberations at the 77th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Commission. 

“This spirit of openness enabled us to reach consensus and to complete deliberations in a timely manner,” she said.

Liberia’s Foreign Minister, Marjon V. Kamara made the statements at the end of the 77thOrdinary Session of the ECOWAS Commission that took place at the ECOWAS Commission ahead of the 50th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government.

She said the agenda was ambitious and somewhat intimidating at the beginning, but noted that the deliberation was managed well.

“In a full day of deliberations, we considered issues germane to the long term viability of the Community which ranged from institutional reform and cost containment measures aimed at right sizing the structure of the Community and ensuring the most efficient use of resources, which have implications for the 2017 budget,” she stressed.

Minister Kamara added that the Council also discussed the welfare of the citizens of the Community, especially those who are being displaced by terrorist attacks in some Member States, and the need to ensure full adherence to the protocol on free movement of people and goods that was acknowledged by the meeting through the ECOWAS taxi documentary.

“We resolved to take the necessary actions realizing the potential negative impact on our regional integration effort,” she indicated.

The Chair of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers thanked the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the facilities, and the staff of the Commission for the organization of the meeting, including the documentation.

During the two-day deliberation, 17 items were discussed ranging from consideration of the 2016 Annual Report of the President of the Commission; a memorandum on amendment of the protocol establishing the ECOWAS Brown Card, and a memorandum on implementation of the Common External Tariff (CET).

Others were consideration of a memorandum on the organogram of ECOWAS Commission, validation of cross-border cooperation programme, report of ECOWAS Ministers in charge of security and migration dialogue for West Africa (MIDWA) and cross-border cooperation programme 2016-2020, and the draft agenda of the 50th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, among others.

There are also four items for the Council of Ministers endorsement, including the Information note on ONE Health, the operationalization of the Regional Center for Disease Control (ECOWAS/CDC); report of the meeting of Ministers in charge of ICT, and ECOWAS Action Plan to address Illicit Drug Trafficking, Organized Crime and Drug Abuse in West Africa 2016-2020, and eight items for information.