ECOWAS Leaders Appoint Buhari Champion Of COVID19 Response, Calls Cancellation Of Total Debts for African

ECOWAS Leaders Appoint Buhari Champion Of COVID19 Response, Calls Cancellation Of Total Debts for African

Presidents of West African countries under the aegis of Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) , Authority of Heads of State and Government have appointed President Muhammadu Buhari Champion of the COVID-19 response.

The appointment took place Thursday at the Extraordinary ECOWAS Summit on COVID-19 which was held via teleconferencing under the Chairmanship of His Excellency, Mahamadou Issoufou, President of the Republic of Niger.

Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity) in a statement who disclosed during the teleconference, President Buhari called on fellow ECOWAS leaders to look beyond the challenges posed by the COVID -19 pandemic and tap into various opportunities that it presents for the betterment of lives in Member States:

“In every challenging situation such as the current one, there are also opportunities. Our region must therefore seek to find those opportunities provided by this gloomy global outlook for its benefit by embarking on the implementation of such critical policies, which before now, will be difficult to accept”

While calling on his colleagues to intensify collaboration in order to save the region from “this deadly pandemic through sharing our experiences and best practices,” President Buhari outlined some measures taken by his government in response to the pandemic. These include:

a. The reduction of interest rates on all applicable Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) interventions from 9 to 5 percent and introduction of a one- year moratorium on CBN intervention facilities;

b. The inauguration of Presidential Task Force to coordinate national efforts to combat the spread of the virus and ensure efficiency and effectiveness in line with the Nigerian Action Plan on Health Security;

c. The provision of relief materials including medical and food supplies as well as conditional cash transfers of N20, 000 each for poor and vulnerable households and ;

d. The establishment of more isolation centers and testing facilities to contain the spread of the virus.

The Nigerian leader also said that unprecedented economic uncertainties, including severe fiscal and foreign exchange constraints, amid a slowdown in global economic growth that most nations are grappling with, have made it imperative for “our sub-region to refocus on accelerating the implementation of our popular vision of ‘ECOWAS of the people’ by adopting dynamic regional policies aimed at providing relief to our citizens.”

“Despite declining revenues, government continues to spend massively on the containment of the virus, medical care for those infected and minimizing impact of the crisis on the poor and vulnerable. This situation puts severe pressure on our finances by increasing our expenditures amid dwindling revenues. This invariably has led to a restructuring and reduction of our budget,” he added.

President Buhari used the occasion to rally other leaders to embrace agriculture, technology and innovation in order to emerge stronger.

“It is imperative that while addressing short term challenges, we should also explore opportunities to promote strong and dynamic agricultural policies that will guarantee food security for our people, creating jobs and reducing poverty in the region. We must innovate and use technology to boost the digital economy and do things differently, but better,” he said.

The Nigerian President affirmed Nigeria’s solidarity with other member states as they battle the virus:

“At a time of global uncertainty such as this, caused by the devastating impact of the COVID-19, let me convey Nigeria’s solidarity with all the Member States as we collectively battle to defeat the pandemic. I am greatly saddened by loss of numerous lives and extend my heartfelt condolences to families of those who have lost loved ones throughout the region. I also wish infected victims speedy and full recovery.”

He reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to the well-being and safety of the people in the sub-region and restated support for any initiatives that would curb the spread of the pandemic arising from the Summit.

Meanwhile the ECOWAS called for the cancellation of the total debts for African countries to enable the continent survive after the coronavirus pandemic.

The chairman of the ECOWAS and President of Niger Republic, Mahamadou Issoufou, made the call on Thursday while speaking during an extraordinary teleconference summit of the Heads of State and Government of the sub-regional body.

The Nigerien president, who spoke in French language, hailed the World Bank and Africa Development Bank (AfDB) for their contributions so far towards fighting the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

Issoufou, however, implored the two financial institutions to do more for the African continent so as to save more lives. While raising alarm over the devastating effects of the deadly virus on humans and economies of the member-states, he advocated collaborative efforts among the member-states to combat the pandemic.

Mohamed Ibn Chambas, the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel (SRSG), also backed the Nigerien President by calling for debt cancellation for African countries as part of palliatives to cushion the effects of the virus on their various economies.

The president of ECOWAS, Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, had earlier in April in a statement announced financial donations and equipment to its member states in support of their fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

Kassi Brou restated the commission’s solidarity with member states as they battle to contain the COVID-19 scourge. About 13 ECOWAS leaders, including President Muhammadu Buhari, are participating in the teleconference as of the time of filing this report.