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Ph:DR: The ECOWAS delegation in Berlin
On April 28, 2023, the ECOWAS Regional Stabilization and Development Fund (RSDF) held its fifth (5th) meeting of its steering committee, on the sidelines of the mission of the Vice-President of ECOWAS to Berlin, Germany. The meeting was co-chaired by Ms. Damtien L. Tchintchibidja, Vice-President of the ECOWAS Commission, and Dr. Silvia Morgenroth, Head of Division West Africa II, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Essentially, Benin and Togo are selected, new beneficiary countries of the second phase of the ECOWAS Regional Stabilization and Development Fund (FRSD).
In her opening address, Ms. Damtien L. Tchintchibidja, underlined the relevance of the stabilization fund, in view of the development challenges prevailing in the region and the need to systematically strengthen the resilience of fragile communities in order to strengthen the sustainable development in the region. She reiterated the commitment of the ECOWAS Commission to the Fund, which requires a financial investment of $1.2 million in the pilot project in The Gambia, as well as an annual minimum of $1 million to be invested. in the development of the health systems of target fragile communities, to complement the activities of KfW and GIZ.
On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Dr. Silvia Morgenroth, Head of West Africa II Division, commended the ECOWAS Commission for its role in promoting peace and security in the region. She highlighted the prevailing challenges in the region for which the Stabilization Fund should provide a vehicle that combines the Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) nexus to build the human and institutional capacities needed to build resilience. She mentioned that BMZ is guided by the New Africa policy which promotes a regional approach through the African Union and ECOWAS, focused on adopting African solutions to the development challenges prevalent in the region.
Following the presentations made by the fund management unit on the status of project implementation in Niger and Guinea Bissau, as well as on the eligibility assessment report for Togo and Benin, the meeting concluded on the following two main decisions: The timetable for the financial cooperation component of the current second phase of the Fund has been extended to cover the period from June 2023 to December 2025; Togo and Benin have been selected as new countries receiving support in the current second phase of the Fund. This took place due to the need to build the resilience of countries along the Gulf of Guinea to mitigate the contagion effects of the crisis from the Sahel.
Also in attendance were Professor Fatou Sow Sarr, ECOWAS Commissioner for Human Development and Social Affairs; the Director and staff of ECOWAS Early Warning; representatives of the KfW Development Bank; GIZ; and the stabilization fund management unit.
