Following the key recommendation of the last meeting of the ECOWAS/UEMOA Joint Technical Secretariat meeting, the two regional organizations held in Abuja on 13 and 14 August 2013 a technical meeting on the elaboration of a regional support programme for Guinea Bissau.
The main purpose of the meeting is to assess the current status of ECOWAS and UEMOA Commissions interventions in Guinea Bissau and develop a joint regional support programme on the way forward.
After a two days debate, the meeting recommended the establishment of a technical committee of four members to propose a draft common program to give more visibility to the regional solidarity. The future program will focus on five priority areas including “Peace and Security”, “Energy”, “Public Financial Management”, “Social infrastructures (education, health), and” Fight against drug trafficking”. This joint program is to be produced by the Technical Committee no later than the 30th of October 2013. It will be submitted to the next meeting of the STC, scheduled for November 2013
ECOWAS has already made many achievements in Guinea Bissau such as significant contributions in the field of energy with the supply of fuel and lubricants to the power station in Bissau. A similar support request was submitted by the Guinea Bissau to the ECOWAS Commission. The demand is under consideration.
In the humanitarian level, the Commission has been involved in the reconstruction of schools and health centres.
Regarding the fight against drug trafficking, ECOWAS is planning to strengthen the capacity of Interdepartmental Coordination Committee on Drugs.
On the security front, the current situation is calm and the political climate improves with the ECOMIB operations that have positively impacted the environment.
In the area of defence, ECOWAS intervened in the rehabilitation of barracks and is currently working on the settlement of military pensions. A five-year defence and security reform program of $ 65 million is running.