In September 2010, in collaboration with the EU, ECOWAS Commissioned signed contracts with 17 grantees from eight ECOWAS Member States. To provide further technical advice to the grantees in the preparation of documents for requests in payment of the final funds for project implementation, a team of ECOWAS Experts have undertaken a two weeks mission (July 17th to 30th ), in member States to assist grantees comply with the EU Procedure for External Grant Actions.
The mission supporting teams are to review the final financial and narrative reports which will be available to the teams on arrival. The interim reports earlier submitted by the grantees to the Commission will be used as a base in the evaluation process. The teams are to ensure that the reports are accurate and meet EU requirements for further disbursement of funds. The teams are also expected to provide technical advice where there are gaps and omissions. Accuracy of the reports, particularly the financial reports is crucial as serious breach of the contractual obligations may exclude grantees from further participation in future Calls for proposals by the EU.
The mission support teams shall be drawn from the NSA Evaluation Committee. Each team will compose of a technical and financial expert. Each team is to hold briefing sessions with the Head of ECOWAS National Unit/Project Officer and will conduct field visits as applicable in the Member States. The Member States are Burkina Faso, Senegal, Niger, Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, and Togo.
This mission is the final to monitor and evaluate NSA Actions in the contract awarded to grantees by ECOWAS Commission in the EU support to regional Non State Actors to implement actions from January to June 2011 towards the facilitation of ECOWAS regional integration.