The President of the Commission H.E. Dr Omar Alieu Touray on Friday 13 October 2023 returned from his successfully concluded official visit to Cabo Verde. The President, accompanied by the Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalisation Hon. Sediko Douka, and the Chief of Staff of the President Hon. Abdou Kolley, arrived in Praia on 10 October 2023 and were received at the airport by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Regional Integration H.E. Rui Alberto de Figueiredo Soares.
On 11 October 2023, the President and delegation met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and discussed the key issues and challenges relating to our regional integration process, including how to strengthen Cabo Verde’s role as a key player. The President and delegation were later received in audience by the Prime Minister H.E. Jose Ulisses Correia e Silva, before proceeding to inaugurate together with the Prime Minister, the new premises provided by the Cabo Verdean Government to serve as Headquarters of ECREEE, pending the construction of a new headquarters on the recently allocated plot of land.
On 12 October 2023 the President of the Commission participated in the opening ceremony of the 8th Edition of the ECOWAS Sustainable Energy Forum organised by ECREEE, during which he officially launched the Regional Off-Grid Electricity Access Project (ROGEAP). The President and delegation later visited a primary school in Praia before proceeding to officially hand over humanitarian aid to the Cabo Verdean Government in support of their School Feeding Programme. Delivered with the technical support of the World Food Programme (WFP), this intervention worth one million US dollars, is entirely funded from ECOWAS own resources.
The President’s official visit was wrapped up later in the evening with a courtesy call on the President of Cabo Verde H.E. Jose Maria Pereira Neves. This was the occasion for the President of the Commission to brief the President of Cabo Verde on his engagements with the officials of the Government of Cabo Verde, and to seek his guidance and support in the implementation of the community regional integration agenda. The President of Cabo Verde reaffirmed the country’s attachment to the regional integration process and reiterated the government’s resolve to honour all its obligations.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).