Addis Ababa, 31 July 2019 – Within the framework of the construction of the new Headquarters of the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Amb. Abdoulaye Diop, Chief of Staff of the Bureau of the Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, received a delegation of ECOWAS headed by Mr. Pathé Gueye, ECOWAS Commissioner for Infrastructure accompanied by Mr. Vafolay Tulay, ECOWAS Commissioner for General Administration and Conferences.

On behalf of The Chairperson of AU Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat, Amb. Diop welcomed the ECOWAS delegation at the AU Headquarters, especially at the time when the AU and the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) began to work closely on the shared tasks towards the development of the continent. He also recalled the outcomes of the recently held first AU-RECs Summit on 8th July 2019 in Niamey, Niger. While congratulating ECOWAS for the construction project of its headquarters, Amb. Diop said ‘Your visit demonstrates the level of seriousness and commitment. The AU Commission is ready to collaborate at the political and technical level, and to share its construction experience.’

Mr. Gueye expressed, in return, gratitude for the AU’s support and indicated that the new Headquarters complex for the Commission will be built in the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria- Abuja through a grant from the Chinese government. In this regard, ECOWAS Commission’s President Mr. Jean-Claude Kassi Brou mandated the two Commissioners and a key technical team to undertake a benchmarking visit to the AU Headquarters to learn from AU’s construction experience with the Chinese Government. Mr. Gueye said ‘We share the same vision for development, peace and security at a complementary regional and continental levels, so we value the collaboration with the AU. We want to build a HQs that reflects our ambitions for the region.’

The technical teams from the two organizations will hold consultative meetings during the next two days.

The Chief of Staff also seized the timely visit of the ECOWAS Delegation to convey on behalf of the Chairperson of the Commission, the condolences for the loss of the Former President of ECOWAS Commission, H.E. Marcel Alain De Souza, and confirmed the participation of the AU Commission in the funerals.

For further information, please contact:

Mrs Christiane Yanrou-Matondo, Principal Communication Officer, Bureau of the Chairperson; E-mail: Yanrouc@africa-union.org;

Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@africa-union.org I Web Site: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia
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