By Olukayode Idowu
The President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, Jean-Claude Kassi Brou has revealed that the ECOWAS Vision 2050 will be validated and endorsed in December, this year.
The President said this in Abuja on Thursday during the opening of a two-day retreat for permanent representatives committee and ECOWAS resident representatives in member states on ECOWAS Vision 2050.
He said: “You may recall that the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government adopted the ECOWAS Vision 2020 in June 2007 as a strategic framework for the transformation of ECOWAS into a border less, peaceful, and prosperous region, the implementation of which came to an end in December 2030.”
He added that: “In 2018, the Council of Ministers adopted a 5-phase roadmap for the preparation of the Post 2020 Vision, subsequently referred to as ECOWAS Vision 2050,” which contained of three roadmaps which include preparatory phase; assessment of ECOWAS vision 2020; formulation and drafting of Vision 2050; review and validation of Vision 2050; and adoption of Vision 2050 by the competent organs of our community.
Brou said: “I am pleased to inform your august body that all first three phases of this roadmap have been successful completed and the meeting with you today, gets the ball rolling for the validation process leading to the endorsement by the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government in December 2021.
He explained that Vision 2050 seeks to build on the accomplishments of Vision 2020, which has set a strong foundation for the movement from an ‘ECOWAS of States’ to an ‘ECOWAS of Peoples’ with mor inclusive and sustainable development programmes.
He noted that meetings have been had with representatives from all member states to give their assessment of Vision 2020 and give their assessment of Vision 2020 and give their aspirations for the next 30 years.
He said the vision statement aims to consolidate the major achievements of our community over the years, while exploring new opportunities especially in the area of new technologies and innovations.
Brou added that it also aims to address and mitigate emerging challenges within the region and globally.
He revealed that it is broken into five key pillars defined according to our constraints and priorities and each pillar is associated with thematic area of action, which will be further developed in the community strategic framework.
The Nigeria’s Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Dr. Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed in her goodwill message, said: “I do believe that today’s event underscores our commitment to the dreams of the founding fathers of ECOWAS and it behooves all of us, especially the PRC to work dispassionately and reflectively to ensure a well-defined and implementable vision through clear programmes, projects and activities that will drive the transformation of our region into vibrant and all-inclusive society with respectable ranking in the global economy.”
She added that the fact that the blueprint marks a major milestone in our development efforts, signifies a faith in our future and in our ability to work together in the multilingual, multi-cultural ECOWAS society for the betterment of all.
