A technical working group involving experts from ECOWAS and AfDB has been established to facilitate the mobilization of regional and international private sector as part of the Round Table to finance priority projects of the PCD.
This initiative came just a few days after the working visit of the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Mr. Marcel Alain de SOUZA to the AfDB headquarters in Abidjan. It allowed executives of both structures based in Abuja and Abidjan, to hold their first meeting on June 29 by video conference.
The meeting allowed experts to discuss and review the priority projects selected for the Round Table. These key projects cover different areas such as transport, energy, water supply, agriculture and health.
In the area of Transport, experts exchanged on ECOWAS maritime line SEALINK; regional rail road Niamey-Kaya-Niamey-Cotonou and Bamako Ouangolodougou and the construction of the Dakar-Abidjan-Lagos highway.
Regarding the Energy sector, the Interconnection Project 225 KV and 330 KV power grids in West Africa (Nigeria-Niger-Benin-Burkina, Ghana-Burkina Faso-Mali-Guinea) and the construction of solar power plants and wind turbines in the ECOWAS member states have attracted the attention of experts.
Regarding the Agricultural area, two components were discussed. The first is the support program for the regional offensive for sustainable rice production in West Africa. The second component concerns the drilling of boreholes for food and agricultural use in the ECOWAS Member States.
Finally in the area of Health, the creation of six referral hospitals and the establishment of a disease control center and response team were supported.
The ECOWAS Commission was represented by the Multilateral Surveillance Department, the Department of Research and Statistics, the Department of Private Sector, the Agriculture Department, the Infrastructure Division, the Directorate of Energy and the CDP unit.
The AfDB was represented in Abuja by its Regional Director and experts in the fields of Agriculture and Infrastructure. In Abidjan, the AfDB was represented by transport and regional integration specialists.