From Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), has disclosed that its 2023 budget will focus on action plans aimed at fighting terrorism and political instability.

This was even as ECOWAS said the budget also aimed at strengthening the ECOWAS Peace and Security Architecture and achieving results related to the implementation plan against terrorism.

President of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Touray, while speaking during the 32nd Meeting of the ECOWAS Administrative and Finance Committee (AFC) in Abuja, said the objectives were among its four strategic objective plan for the year 2023.

Tagged Budget of “Consolidation and Reforms,” Touray added that the budget will ensure the consolidation of the gains made in the institutional reform process.

The ECOWAS Commission President further said the budget will aid the sub-region’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine-Russia War.

While also saying that the budget was designed to set the agenda for the next four years, Touray stated that the budget will target putting the region back on track for regional integration.

“It is in view of the foregoing issues that we quickly identified four strategic objectives that would be our focus for the next four years which we called the 4 by 4 (4x).

“These four objectives are; Enhanced peace and security, Deeper Regional Integration, Good Governance, Inclusive and Sustained Development.

“In addition to these four strategic objectives, we have identified two enablers, namely: capable institutions and equitable partnerships, which would facilitate the realization of our objectives.

“Let me quickly add that our four strategic objectives are already aligned with the Community Strategic Framework (CSF), which has been developed for the realization of the ECOWAS Vision 2050.

“We intend to focus on strengthening the ECOWAS Peace and Security Architecture and achieving results related to;

“The Implementation Plan against Terrorism (on this we would like to invite you to support us with the full realization of the one billion dollars Pool Fund which our Members Pledged).

“The full operationalization of the ECOWAS Maritime security Architecture, the full operationalization of the National Early Warning and Response Centers, Building the mediation and rapid response capacity of ECOWAS,” Touray said.

In her remarks, the head of the ECOWAS AFC, Ms Silva Cristina, said the parley was targeted at assessing the community budget to ensure that community resources and efficiently used for the betterment of ECOWAS citizens.

“The main objective of this year-end meeting is to consider and validate our budget, it is also to ensure the technical and financial monitoring of the year under review, 2022 budget.

“And our work will be to ensure that the strategic objectives of the community are being met. We are invited to look at the medium-term expenditure frame-work, 2023 to 2025.

“We are of the view that this exercise will only be easy if we look at it against the background of economic framework which ahs been strongly marred by the pandemic and also persistent non-enforcement of the protocol of the community levy on all product.

“Our community depends of the outcomes of the outcomes of this deliberation. That is why the honorable members of AFC have to make constructive and concrete contributions.

“Which will enable us to make progress and also ensure that the community resources are efficiently used,” Cristina said.