SAN FRANCISCO, July 22, (THEWILL) – President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Mr. Kadre Desire Ouedraogo, has lauded what he described as the pragmatic efforts of Governor Liyel Imoke of Cross River State in making healthcare delivery a priority in the state.
Ouedraogo, who gave the commendation at the opening session of the 8th edition of the Joint Retreat of ECOWAS Institutions, Permanent Representatives and National Units, holding at the Tinapa Business and Leisure Resort, Calabar, said: “Your commitment to the fight against extreme poverty and especially your personal involvement in malaria eradication are well known to me.”
He hailed the outstanding approach adopted by the governor in tackling some healthcare challenges in the state as well as other developmental strides recorded which he acknowledged has made Cross River stand out in the sub region.
“I welcome your initiatives in that regard and avail myself of this opportunity to urge you to sustain these efforts which, undoubtedly, will contribute to the attainment of ECOWAS Vision 2020,” he said, while also acknowledging the beauty of Calabar.
The President promised to pull the weight of the Commission to support the state in its developmental programmes especially those that are in line with its vision in reducing poverty and wellbeing of the citizenry.
On the retreat, the President averred that the exercise would afford members a common platform for not only to understand the new challenges and response strategies in the region, but also to agree on how best to strengthen the coordination, communication and collaboration among all stakeholders in the integration process.
He further disclosed that the format of the retreat would afford them the opportunity to be flexible and, that beyond the items on the agenda to tackle, all the issues they consider necessary for advancing the debate on member states’ programme ownership, would be considered.
While acknowledging the contributions and efforts of Heads of Member States for monitoring the monetary integration process, the ECOWAS boss maintained that, “I am sincerely beholden to all their peers who have left no stone unturned in consolidating peace and security in West Africa.
“As a result of their strong conviction and wise decision, our region is experiencing gradual stabilization of the political and security situation.” he added.
In his remark, Cross River State Governor, Senator Liyel Imoke noted that “ECOWAS has become a critical part of our development and this effort at coming in to deliberate on your activities as well as to plan for the development of the region is a gritty legged exercise you do annually which represents the strengthening of that partnership.”
The governor commended the work of the Commission on what it has done over the years, stressing that, “As we continue to build on integration within the sub region, we want to particularly pay attention to the fact that Africa is becoming clearly a destination that the rest of the world yearns for.”
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