Meeting of regional indicative programme steering committee ends in Dakar
ABUJA, Nigeria, May 26, 2011/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The fourth meeting of the Regional Indicative Programme (RIP) 9th EDF steering committee, held in Dakar from 18 to 20 May 2011 ended with the adoption of several strong recommendations which include the need to establish a program transition between the ending 9th EDF and the 10th in preparation.
The participants, numbering about sixty, representing the Commissions of ECOWAS and UEMOA, project managers, intergovernmental organizations, the Commission of the European Union (EU), Delegations of EU in Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Senegal, have analyzed the seventh monitoring report 9th EDF RIP. They made the finding of prejudicial delay recorded in the implementation of most of the twenty two projects of the 9th EDF RIP. This delay combined with other endogenous and exogenous factors resulted in a low rate of implementation of the programme estimated at 48.8% as of December 31, 2010.
To correct the shortcomings, the Committee welcomed the creation of EDF cells within regional organizations to reinforce implementation and monitoring of activities and ownership of the EDF procedures. The Committee also asked for a better coordination between ECOWAS and UEMOA Projects and Programmes.
In the field of transport facilitation, the Steering Committee has recommended the recruitment of two engineers to strengthen the capacities of ECOWAS and UEMOA for the construction phase of joint border posts. The Committee also asked to put in place in time, an appropriate legal framework and continue to support the achievement of joint border posts on the selected corridors.
Concerning Conflict prevention and peace keeping projects, the Steering Committee wished to reinforce human and material capacities in this area.
In his keynote address at the opening ceremony, Mr. Manuel Iglesias Roa, Head of Division for Regional Cooperation in the EU Delegation in Nigeria, representing the EU, has raised the lack of regional organizations human resources and the delay in the execution of projects. He asked each other to learn from the 9th EDF before the forthcoming implementation of the activities of the 10th EDF.
For its part, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Macroeconomic Policy, raised in his opening address, the need for better coordination of PIR at the regional and NIP (National Indicative Programme) nationally. He also emphasized the case of the low level integration of the PIR units within Directorates of regional organizations. “The units of RIP are seen as disruptive,” said Commissioner Bamba before expressing his desire to see the units working in harmony with the regional organizations. Otherwise, he predicted, coordination issues will always be there to slow project implementation.
This fourth meeting of the Steering Committee was jointly organized by ECOWAS and UEMOA, with financial and technical support from the European Union.
SOURCE
Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS)
