In accordance with the Technical and Administrative Provisions (TAP) of the
Financing Agreements of the drafts as well as the Mechanism for the
Coordination and Monitoring of the Regional Indicative Programme (RIP) of the
9th EDF, a Meeting of the RIP ECOWAS/UEMOA Steering Committee was held in
Cotonou, Benin from 13 to 15 December 2012.
About thirty participants made up of technical advisers and directors and experts from
the two regional organisations presented the status of implementation of the 9th EDF RIP, the contribution of the RIP to the regional integration process, lessons learned for a better programming as well as the effective implementation of the RIP 10th and 11th EDF.
The representatives of the Delegations of the European Union (DEU) in Burkina Faso and Nigeria who were expected in the meeting were unable to attend the meeting due to scheduling reasons.
The discussions on the status of implementation of the 9th EDF RIP revealed that as at 30th September 2012, the execution rate stood at 70.7 and more than 56 billion Euro had been lost by the two regional organisations with an outstanding balance of 27 billion.
Concerning the contribution of the RIP to the promotion of regional integration, there were indications that the implementation of the RIP has produced several results notably progress in the establishment of the ECOWAS CET, reduction of non-tariff barriers (Togo,
Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria), compensation for loss of customs revenues on
originating products, on-going modernisation of customs procedures (computerisation of regional transit: ALISA), production of reports on multilateral surveillance of economic and financial policies by fourteen out of 15 countries, with the exception of Cape Verde, progress in the area of harmonisation of macro-economic statistics and data of the region (national accounts, balance of payments, harmonised index of consumer prices – HICP –
etc.) establishment of representatives of regional private sector platforms and finally the dissemination and promotion of a quality culture.
At the end of discussions and following a deep analysis of the implementation process
of the 9th EDF RIP, the Cotonou meeting made several observations, including
the long delay in programming the RIP and resource mobilisation, inadequate
resources in relation to the demands of coordinating the RIP, low implementation capacity of projects by the two Commissions, unsuitable projects design (institutional aspects, logical framework, time-table, costs, etc.), poor ownership of EDF procedures, low application of the 9th EDF procedures that resulted in loss of funds (no DP disbursements), non compliance with the general conditions of the Contribution Agreement, long processing of dossiers etc.) and finally, withdrawal of EU’s support to the Commission for the regional integration agenda.
In order to avoid repeating the mistakes mentioned above, the meeting made relevant recommendations as measures to address the challenges faced in the implementation of the 9th EDF RIP.
In that regard, the participants proposed that the two Commissions seek ways and means of preventing a break in the implementation of the 9th EDF RIP projects which may be carried over into the 10th EDF RIP.
In furtherance of the preparation and implementation of the projects and improving
the coordination, the meeting reiterated the March 2012 recommendation relating
to taking up adequate measures to ensure the capacity building of the two Commissions notably through the creation of Regional Authorising Officers Support Units.
In the area of capacity building, the meeting also recommended the establishment of a continuous training programme for EDF programmes and projects cycle themes.
To fine-tune the impact indicators of the RIP programmes and projects, the meeting
reiterated its recommendation that the Statistics Departments of the two
Commissions should meet as soon as possible. It was also proposed to launch an impact study to determine the contribution of the 0th EDF RIP to regional integration.
The meeting urged the two Commissions not to relent in their efforts towards compliance with the four pillars (Audit, Finance, Procurements, Internal Audit) but also reiterated that the donor and the beneficiaries must have a common understanding of some provisions of texts guiding EDF funds and encourage a complete ownership of the EDF procedures by the beneficiary.
The meeting proposed that the 11th EDF regional strategy should be based on existing programming documents (Regional Economic Programme – REP/PER and Community Development Programme – CDP/PCD) of the UEMOA and ECOWAS Commissions respectively and finance more structuring projects especially in the area of infrastructure.
In order to enhance the coordination of the implementation mechanism of regional projects, the meeting recommended that a follow-up support should be granted to the Joint Technical Secretariat and Projects/Programmes Steering Committees.
The meeting expressed the wish for improved collaboration between the two Commissions and External Partners as well as closer cooperation between the European Union Delegations and the two Commissions at all stages of programme scheduling and implementation.
Furthermore, the meeting presented the status of the formulation of the 10th EDF RIP
projects. The two Commissions met the deadline required for transmitting the FA and DTA to the DEU. The estimated cost of commitments for projects under the 10th EDF RIP is a balance of almost 20 billion Euros against the envelope established at the mid-year review. The meeting recommended that the attention of the DEU should be drawn to the existence of this balance which may be reallocated to projects in need of resources.
Finally, the two Commissions agreed to request the EU to provide the programming guidelines of the 11th EDF without further delay. They agreed to meet again in the
first quarter of 2013 in order to harmonise their points of views on the programming orientations. They also recommended scheduling a high-level meeting between the EU and West Africa at the inception of the 11th EDF programming exercise.
The two Commissions also recalled that the Regional Indicative Programme (RIP) is a
European Union-funded regional programme. Its overall objective is to contribute to poverty reduction through improved growth and regional economic integration of West African States.