Freetown (Sierra Leone), 8 February 2017 (ECA) – 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), Dimitri Sanga, paid an official visit to the headquarters of the Mano River Union Secretariat (MRU) from February 6 – 8.
The objective of the visit to Sierra Leone was to explore ways of institutionalising an official frame of reference for cooperation between the ECA Sub-Regional Office for West and the Mano River Union in order to agree on a series of shared activities to be carried out in a multiyear fashion. The cooperation is aimed at strengthening regional integration.
This visit was underpinned by ECA’s commitment towards strengthening cooperation with the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and the Intergovernmental Organisations (IGOs) for greater synergy in interventions at the subregional level. It also served as the opportunity for both institutions to discuss a number of key issues of mutual interest, including: the institutional revitalisation of the Mano River Union Secretariat; peace, security and social development for the Mano River region; infrastructure (transportation, energy, mines.); statistics, research and planning for development.
Mr. Sanga hailed the formalisation of the cooperation between the ECA and the MRU as an important step in creating synergies in the interventions by the United Nations at the regional level in general and in the Mano River area in particular.
For his part, the Deputy Secretary General in charge of the Administration of the MRU, Mr. Koffi Kouman said that the meeting was timely as it would not only assist his institution to efficiently accompany Member States in their structural transformation processes but also develop a management plan for the long-term operational and financial autonomy of the MRU Secretariat.
The meeting agreed that both institutions would undertake joint activities and consolidate their collaboration by signing, in the coming days, 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,
Issued by:
Communications Section
Economic Commission for Africa
PO Box 3001
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Tel: +251 11 551 5826
E-mail: ecainfo@uneca.org