President for the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), His Excellency Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, has indicated that the upcoming 61st Ordinary Session of the Heads of State to be hosted in Ghana on Sunday, July 3, 2022, in Accra, would be his final session presiding over the Council of Ministers.
He made this pronouncement during his opening remarks at the 88th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers summit.
H.E Jean-Claude Kassi Brou expressed gratitude for the support, undying sacrifices and accomplishments from the community members towards the development of ECOWAS. However, he admonished member States to strive for advancement and more developmental accomplishments for the betterment of the community.
“This session of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers is the last to be attended by the Commission over which I preside. I would therefore like to express, on behalf of the Institutions, statutory appointees and staff of the Community, our utmost gratitude for your support and guidance throughout these four years. Thanks to your commitment, we have been able to confront the COVID-19 pandemic and continue the different activities of the Commission. This enabled us to make progress in carrying out our mandate in the service of the Community.”
“Throughout our tenure, we have made every effort to meet the expectations of ECOWAS leaders and people. As with any human endeavour, much has been achieved but much more remains to be done to actualise the ECOWAS Vision 2050, with the mantra:
“ECOWAS of the Peoples: Peace and Prosperity for All,” he said.
The President of the Commission of ECOWAS earlier tasked member States to review the security threats among other devastating crises affecting the growth and socio-economic conditions of the organization.
“Today’s meeting is characterised by the lingering security crisis in the frontline countries (Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Nigeria) and in several coastal countries. These different crises, compounded by the devastating consequences of climate change, have resulted in a difficult humanitarian situation. Internationally, the crisis between Ukraine and Russia has had a significant impact on global inflation and the supply of basic commodities to our people and our economies,” he said.
He furthered, “During the two-day meeting, you will consider the reports presented to you on the management of our institutions and the activities of the various departments of the Commission. In particular, you will discuss the report on the state of the Community, the report of the Administration and Finance Committee, and the financial situation of the Community as at the end of May 2022. The Auditor General will also present a report on his activities for the year 2021, which will be followed by the report of the 47th Audit Committee.”
By: Jude Tackie
