Nigeria’s Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, departs Lagos on Saturday for Accra, Ghana to represent Nigeria at the 61st Ordinary Session of the Authority of the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government holding on Sunday, July 3.
Osinbajo who is standing in for President Muhammadu Buhari at the Summit, will join other leaders to deliberate and take decisions on the political, security and humanitarian issues among others regarding the sub-region at the regular ECOWAS summit.
The meeting will also review the situations in Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso, particularly towards restoring democratic rule. West African leaders have since 2020 held several sessions, including emergency meetings, dedicated to finding lasting solutions to the resurgence of coups in some of the countries in the sub-region.
At the summit on Sunday, the Mediation and Security Council of ECOWAS will update leaders on political developments in the region and in the sahel region.
The Council will also provide updates on the issues of insecurity, challenges relating to youth unemployment and the impact of diseases and pandemics on social tensions in the region.
On the sidelines of the summit, the Vice President will attend a meeting of the five West African countries involved with “The Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Highway Development Project.” It is a flagship project of the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa, PIDA that connects the capitals of five West African states including Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria and stretches approximately 1,028 kilometres.
The $42 million project is aimed at promoting cross-border trade, integrate economies within the ECOWAS area, reduce transport costs, stimulate inter-regional trade and strengthen regional integration in West Africa.
The Vice President is expected back in Abuja later on Sunday.
