West African Experts to review challenges and opportunities surrounding the increase of bio fuels production.

Press Release

Niamey-16 May-08- ECA:-The ECA's Sub-regional Office for West Africa will hold the eleventh session of its Intergovernmental Committee of Experts (ICE) meeting from 25 to 26 June 2008 in Niamey , Niger . This annual meeting which gathers experts from ministries of finance, planning and economic development in the sub region will focus on the theme: “Harnessing Africa's resources: What strategies for the development of the bio fuels sector in West Africa ?” Discussions on this agenda item will explore alternative ways of using investment opportunities for the optimum exploitation of the sub region's resources in order to alleviate the impact of high energy bills that hamper the economic and social development efforts in West Africa .

This Eleventh ICE Meeting will also serve as a forum for a high-level discussion on the wealth creation and retention strategy formulated by the ECA's Sub-regional Office for West Africa . This strategy is based on optimum utilization of regional resources and institutions to meet Africa 's development priorities. It seeks to provide Africa with increasing capacity to create and retain wealth in order to bridge the gap between Africa as a rich continent and African citizens who are poor. According to the Director of ECA's Sub-regional Office in West Africa, Dr. Abdoulaye Niang: “ It's crucial to secure an optimal allocation of the global wealth retained as returns on Africa 's investment.”

A Consultative Meeting of Experts from sub-regional organizations and Member States will gather on 24 June as a prelude to the launching of the Forum of West African Intergovernmental Organizations. This event is intended to strengthen synergies and build on complementarities between West African integration institutions for more effective implementation of sub-regional programmes. The meeting will particularly consider the operational rules and modalities of the Forum of sub-regional institutions as recommended in December 2007 in Ouagadougou .

The Intergovernmental Committee of Experts is a subsidiary organ of the Conference of African Ministers of Planning and Development instituted to take stock of and deliberate on particular issues of each of the continent's five (5) sub-regions. Every year, the Committee assembles experts from the Member States to discuss current progress and future prospects for implementing the programmes of the Sub Regional Office, and to review its technical documents. Previous West Africa's ICE meetings were held in Niamey (1998), Conakry (1999), Abuja (2000), Dakar (2001), Niamey (2002), Banjul (2003), Abuja (2004), Ouagadougou (2005), Lomé (2006) and Niamey (2007). The ECA Sub Regional Office for West Africa is located in Niamey , Niger , and covers the fifteen ECOWAS countries.

 

Further information can be obtained from:

ECA West Africa Office
B.P. 744 Niamey, Niger
Telephone :+( 227)20722961
Fax: + (227)20722894, E-mail : srdcwest@uneca.org