Communique On ECOWAS Summit

ECONOMIC COMMUNITY OF WEST AFRICAN STATES

COMMUNAUTE ECONOMIQUE DES ETATS DE L’AFRIQUE

DE L’OUEST

 FORTY-NINTH ORDINARY SESSION OF THE ECOWAS AUTHORITY OF HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT

 4 June 2016, Dakar, Republic of Senegal
E. Patrice TALON, President of the Republic of BeninFINAL COMMUNIQUE
The session was attended by the under-listed Heads of State and Government or their duly mandated representatives: The forty-ninth Ordinary Summit of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was convened in Dakar, Republic of Senegal on 4th June, 2016, under the chairmanship of E. Macky Sall, President of the Republic of Senegal and current Chair of the Authority.

• E. Roch Marc Christian KABORE, President of Burkina Faso
• E. Alassane OUATTARA, President of the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire

–    H.E. Jorge Carlos de Almeida FONSECA, President of the    Republic of Cabo Verde

• E. John Dramani MAHAMA, President of the Republic of Ghana
• E. Prof Alpha CONDE, President of the Republic of Guinea
• E. Ellen JOHNSON-SIRLEAF, President of the Republic of Liberia
• E. Ibrahim Boubacar KEITA, President of the Republic of Mali
• E Macky SALL, President of the Republic of Senegal
• E. Ernest Bai KOROMA, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone
• E. Prof Yemi Osinbajo, Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria

• E. Dr Baciro DJA, Prime Minister of the Republic of Guinea Bissau

H.E. Abdoulie JOBE, Minister for Trade, Regional Integration and Employment of the Islamic Republic of The Gambia

• E. Adji Oteth AYASSOR, Senior Minister for Economy, Finance and Development Planning of the Togolese Republic

3. The session was also attended by Mohamed Ibn Chambas, the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative for West Africa and representatives of the President of the African Union Commission and the Commission of the West African Monetary and Economic Union (UEMOA) as observers.

4. E. Marcel Alain de Souza, President of the ECOWAS Commission, took the oath of office before the Authority which took due note of this.

5. During their session, the Heads of State and Government took note of the 2016 Interim Report of the President of the Commission and the reports of the 76th Ordinary Session of the Council of Ministers and of the 36th Meeting of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security

6. The Authority welcomed the quality of the reports submitted by Council and the Commission, as well as the relevant recommendations contained therein. It commended the excellent work accomplished by Community Institutions for the consolidation of the achievements of West Africa’s integration and reaffirmed its firm commitment to the attainment of regional integration goals, in an environment of sustainable peace, security and good

7. The Summit warmly congratulated His Excellency Mr. Mahamadou ISSOUFOU for his re-election as President of Niger and wished him success in his second term. It equally congratulated His Excellency Mr. Patrice TALON for his election and wished him every success. It also commended the political stakeholders and people of the two countries for their genuine commitment to democratic values which led to the peaceful and exemplary elections in their countries.

8. The Heads of State and Government urged all Member States scheduled to hold elections in 2016, namely, Cabo Verde, The Gambia and Ghana, to create

a propitious environment for the conduct of peaceful, free and transparent elections.

9. They invited the Commission to deploy in these three countries, pre-election technical missions to assess together with all stakeholders, the preparations for the elections, in addition to the election observation missions which will pave the way for the arrival of the ECOWAS observation

10. The Authority extends its hearty congratulations to President Marcel Alain de SOUZA, and to all new Commissioners for their appointment to head the Commission and wishes them success in their new The Authority, through the new management team, commends all statutory officers and staff of the Community, for the smooth running of the Community’s activities and programmes.

11. It recognizes the remarkable work accomplished by Mr. Kadré Desiré OUEDRAOGO, former President of the Commission and his team during his tenure.

12. After deliberations, the Summit arrived at the following specific decisions:

ON REGIONAL INTEGRATION AND DEVELOPMENT MATTERS

 The Authority reiterates its total commitment to the on-going integration process as a collective response to the region’s development challenges, and undertakes to continue with even more determination, its efforts in political, economic as well as institutional areas, to address all challenges to the deepening of the

14. The Authority calls on Member States to take ownership of, and implement, all Protocols and Community Acts and, in particular, the Community Levy Protocol, in order to fast-track the integration

15. The Authority urges States to persevere in their efforts to build more resilient economies, particularly through the pursuit of structural reforms,  sound

macroeconomic policies and the diversification of their economies, to ensure compliance with the road map for the adoption of the single currency.

16. The Authority affirms that these measures are likely to create a favorable environment for investment and enable our economies adapt to exogenous shocks for inclusive and sustainable

17. The Heads of State and Government reaffirm their commitment to the rationalization of the costs of running Community Institutions, completion of institutional reforms and the actualization of the ECOWAS Vision 2020. While welcoming the precautionary measures taken by the President of the Commission to streamline and control costs, the Summit instructs the Commission to quickly provide lasting solutions to the Community Levy implementation and redirect the Community’s resources towards priority, integrating programmes within the

18. In order to expedite the implementation of Community programmes, the Summit decides to convene a high-level Conference on innovative financing and a Donors’ Roundtable for the funding of the Community Development Programme (CDP) in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, before the end of 2016. Within this framework, the Authority directs the Commissions to take necessary measures, in close collaboration with the Ivorian authorities, to ensure that the two events are successfully

19. The Authority welcomes the lifting of the embargo on arms and on other related materials imposed against Cote d’Ivoire owing, among other things, to the successful implementation of disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration programmes and security reforms in the

20. The Summit adopts the ECOWAS Political Framework for Security Sector Reform and Governance. In view of its implementation, it directs the Commission to take advantage of the expertise and experience available in Member States of the region, particularly in Cote d’Ivoire and Liberia which have successfully carried out security sector
21. The Authority calls on the Commission to expedite the establishment of the Early Warning and Rapid Response mechanisms in the 10 Member States which

lack the mechanisms and ensure that the awareness is created in all Member States.

22. The Authority welcomes the designation of H.E Alpha CONDE, President of the Republic of Guinea, to monitor the rapid mobilization of funds for the electrification of Africa (as proposed in paragraph 19 of the Final Communiqué of the 48th Session) and expresses its support to him in the accomplishment of this mission. It calls on him to facilitate and expedite the implementation of existing and new African initiatives on renewable energy, the African initiative on adaptation and the ECOWAS Programme for sustainable access to energy services.

23. The Authority strongly supports the decision of the African Union to provide the Continent with an African instrument for facilitating electrification in It proposes the establishment, without delay, of an African Fund for the electrification of Africa to be hosted at the African Bank for Development (AfDB) and administered by a joint board (Africa – Donors – Partners). The African administrators will be designated by the Heads of State and Government of the African Union on the basis of an administrator per Regional Economic Community.

24. Moreover, the Authority urges all Member States and their partners to provide the necessary support to Mali for the climate change negotiations on behalf of the African continent during its 2-year

25. The Summit endorses the candidature of Cote d’Ivoire to the post of non- permanent member of the UN Security Council for the period 2018 –

26. The Authority endorses the choice of Guinea as host for the African Centre for Mining Development (ACMD)

27. The Authority takes note of the list of all candidates to the different positions open in international organizations and decides to propose to the Africa Union the postponement of elections to these positions to allow for more thorough preparations.

28. Furthermore, it directs the ECOWAS Commission to take necessary measures to ensure that the Community does not support multiple candidates to these

ON THE ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT (EPA) AND COMMON EXTERNAL TARIFF (CET)

 The Authority commends the signing by Member States of the Economic Partnership Agreement and urges the two Member States yet to do so, to urgently sign the Agreement and hold consultations with the economic stakeholders of these countries, while awaiting ratification by the respective

30. The Summit reaffirms the need to implement the Common External Tariff in all Member States and urges the six States yet to commence application, to take urgent steps in that

ON PEACE, SECURITY AND DEMOCRACY MATTERS

 The Authority reaffirms the importance of peace, security and stability within ECOWAS for the economic development of the

32. The Summit reaffirms its determination to resolutely pursue the fight against terrorism and in that regard, stresses the need for coordinated international action.

33. The Authority expresses grave concern at the terrorism scourge which is becoming a persistent threat in the region. It firmly condemns the terrorist attacks in Bamako and Timbuktu (Mali), in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) and Grand Bassam (Cote d’Ivoire) which occurred respectively in November 2015and May 2016 and January and March 2016, in addition to the attacks by Boko Haram in Niger (on 3 June 2016) and Nigeria. The Authority extends its solidarity with the affected countries and presents its sincere condolences to the Governments and people of Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, Niger and

34. The Summit welcomes the different preventive measures adopted by Member States against the terrorist attacks, as well as regional and  continental

initiatives to address terrorism with the support of partners. It lauds the conduct in Abuja, Nigeria on 12 to 14 May, of the Regional Security Summit which brought together Member States of the Lake Chad Basin Commission in order to further reinforce the operations of the Joint Multinational Force against Boko Haram.

35. It urges all States to continue and strengthen their coordination and information sharing efforts in the execution of their operations and calls on all Member States to join in these

36. In that regard, the Summit instructs the Commission to convene an emergency meeting of the Heads of Intelligence Units in order to define the procedure for enhancing information sharing and support Member States in the sensitisation and education of citizens to check radicalisation and violent extremism at the Community, national and regional

37. The Heads of State and Government call on the International Community to support the efforts in the region to effectively fight against

ON THE SITUATION IN BURKINA FASO

 The Authority acknowledges the successful presidential elections held on 29 November 2015 that enabled a return to democratic rule and the stabilization of the security situation in the

39. The Summit welcomes the outcome of the last meeting of the International Contact Group on Burkina Faso (GISAT-BF) held on 1st April 2016 and appeals to the global community to provide the necessary support to the long-term socio- economic programme as set out in the strategic vision of the

40. The Summit requests the Commission to work in close collaboration with the African Union and the United Nations as part of the new Support Group for the consolidation of Democracy and Economic Recovery (GIS-BF) in Burkina Faso and supporting the organization of a donor conference to mobilize the relevant resources for the social and economic development of Burkina

ON THE SITUATION IN THE GAMBIA

 The Authority commends the recent joint good offices mission fielded to the Gambia by the Commission President, the United Nations Special Representative in West Africa and the Sahel and the African Union Commissioner for Political Affairs, in the wake of the tensions that arose after the closure of the borders between The Gambia and Senegal in February 2016 and the demonstrations staged by the opposition on 14 and 16 April

42. While commending Gambia’s political stakeholders for the signing, on 20 April 2016, of an agreement to hold free elections, the Summit encourages the Gambian Government and Parliament to initiate the requisite reforms for the conduct of inclusive, free and credible elections and urges the security forces to refrain from the use of excessive force against the citizens and adopt a responsible

43. The Authority consequently calls on the Gambian government and the opposition to engage in a frank dialogue at the earliest possible time and encourages the Independent Electoral Commission to prepare a Road Map for approval by all the stakeholders of the electoral

44. The Authority welcomes the opening of the borders between The Gambia and Senegal on 24 May 2016 and calls on the two sister states to give dialogue a chance while strictly complying with the principles of free movement of persons, and goods as set out in the ECOWAS Protocol on Free

45. The Summit instructs the ECOWAS Commission to deploy as soon as possible, a pre-electoral technical mission to appraise the electoral process in The

ON THE SITUATION IN GUINEA BISSAU

 The Authority expresses deep concern over the persistence of the crisis in Guinea Bissau which undermines the implementation of to the commitments made by Guinea Bissau’s development partners in March 2015 provide a 1.5 billion US dollars financial

47. It urges all political stakeholders to engage in dialogue with a view to resolving the political and institutional crisis and commends the professionalism of the army for not involving itself in the political impasse and encourages it to continue in this

48. The Authority calls on the Government and members of the Opposition to find solutions to all the matters of dispute, in conformity with the procedures set out in the

49. Furthermore, the Authority decides to designate a Presidential mission comprising Guinea, Senegal and Sierra Leone, to meet and conduct discussions with those involved in the political crisis in Guinea Bissau, in order to better assess the current political situation in the

50. The Summit decides to extend by a year, the ECOWAS Mission in Guinea- Bissau and urges Guinea-Bissau’s defence and security forces to ensure peace and security throughout the

51. The Heads of State and Government direct the ECOWAS Commission to make all the necessary arrangements to settle, as soon as possible, all arrears owed troop and police contributing-countries.

52. They equally direct the Commission to hold consultations with the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries (CPLP), with a view to convening a meeting of the International Contact Group on Guinea-Bissau.

ON THE SITUATION IN MALI

 The Authority reaffirms its commitment to the respect of the unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Malian State. It expresses grave concern at the deteriorating political situation in Mali, characterized by the resurgence of terrorist attacks against the Malian defence and security forces, the UN Forces, the French Barkhane Force and civilians. This situation is a threat to the entire sub- region.

54. The Authority welcomes the efforts made by the Malian Government under the leadership of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita for the full implementation of the Peace and Reconciliation Agreement in

55. The Authority expresses its indignation at the situation in Kidal where, a year after the signing of the Agreement, the Government and the Malian defence and security forces are yet to have access, to fully secure the national territory and demands an end to this situation. It urges the signatory movements to engage in good faith, in the prompt, full and effective implementation of the Peace and Reconciliation Agreement in

56. The Authority reiterates the decision adopted at its 47th session held in Accra on 19 May 2015 by which only the Malian defence and security forces shall legally and legitimately occupy every area of the national territory, as part of their sovereign role to protect the borders, people and their property and that any other occupation by irregular, non-State forces shall be illegal and must end. It demands, in conformity with the relevant Resolutions of the UN Security Council, African Union and ECOWAS, that the Malian defence and security forces be deployed as quickly as possible throughout the territory of the Malian State to deal with the enemies of peace and protect the populations at the

57. The Authority calls on the United Nations Security Council to adopt necessary measures to reinforce the MINUSMA mandate and provide it with adequate means and equipment for its adaptation to the security context threatening the peace and security of the entire region, with risks of contagion. It envisages the establishment of a joint multinational Force to counter terrorism in Mali.

ON TRANSHUMANCE

 The Heads of State and Government express concern over the escalating number of conflicts related to transhumance in several Member States, particularly in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria which may constitute a new threat to regional

59. The Summit commends the national initiatives aimed at addressing transhumance issues, welcomes the establishment of a Ministerial Task Force and reaffirms the need for lasting

60. The Heads of State and Government instruct the Commission to convene a sub-regional meeting to share experiences on transhumance issues and assist Member States in creating awareness on the issue. They urge the Commission to set up a working group comprising relevant directorates in order to exchange with Member States’ Ministries of Livestock, Agriculture, Environment, Interior and Defence, and put forward recommendations aiming at finding a lasting solution to the

61. The Authority congratulates E. Mr. Macky Sall, President of the Republic of Senegal and current Chair of the Authority of Heads of State and Government on his exemplary leadership in the region.

62. The Heads of State and Government express deep gratitude to E. Mr. Macky Sall, President of the Republic of Senegal and current Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government, the Government and people of Senegal, for the generous and authentic African hospitality accorded them during their stay in Dakar, as well as the quality of the organisation of this session which has contributed immensely to its success. In addition, the Authority expresses immense gratitude to His Excellency, President Macky Sall for his untiring efforts and firm commitment with which he presided over the region’s destiny.

63. The Summit decides to elect Her Excellency, Mrs. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, President of the Republic of Liberia, as Chair of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, for a one-year

64. The Heads of State and Government decide to hold their next Ordinary Session in Dakar, Republic of Senegal, at a date to be agreed upon after consultations.

Done at Dakar, this 4th  day of June 2016

 THE AUTHORITY