What Omar Touray said at ECOWAS event in Abuja

The President of ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Touray, says the subregional bloc must strive to maintain its status as a model of regional integration in Africa, in spite of its prevailing challenges.

Touray said this in Abuja, at a retirement ceremony organised by ECOWAS for its members of staff due to quit the service of the commission this year.

He said that ECOWAS had achieved a lot over the years in the area of free movement of people, intra-regional trading, power, and providing community infrastructure, among many others.

According to him, the people behind those achievements are the members of staff, some of whom are on the brink of retirement.

He expressed appreciation and gratitude to them for doing such a tremendous work, adding that those retiring had been part and parcel of that process.

“I believe that together, we can make this community better and still keep it as the model of integration on the continent.

“We do have a long way to go, but I believe we can still continue to keep ECOWAS as a model of regional integration.

“As you all know, ECOWAS heads of state, have shown their confidence in the institution by making sure financial constraints that used to bedevil the institution do not really disturb our progress.

“We should continue to justify that confidence, and I am confident that the staff will continue to work to merit that,” he said.

Touray said that, in spite of the commission’s numerous achievements, the community was still facing many challenges.

He urged the commission’s staff members to avoid looking at challenges in isolation and instead have a broader perspective to understand that the entire world was in turmoil.

“What is happening in our region is a reflection of the global realities.

“Our attempt to address some of those challenges must be all-inclusive, must be broad, as much as possible.

“Those challenges are surmountable. I am confident that together we should be able to address those challenges,” he said.

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