The ECOWAS COVID-19 champion, President MuhammaduBuhari, has encouraged the leadership of the regional economic body to come up with recovery plans to help mitigate the economic devastation caused by the coronavirus pandemic on Member States.
Speaking at a recent virtual meeting with Jean KassiBrou, President of the ECOWAS Commission, President MuhamuduBuhari called on ECOWAS Member States to work closely in the race to overcome the coronavirus, especially by sensitizing their citizens on the preventive measures against COVID-19.
Buhari also expressed appreciation to countries and organizations that provided support to the region in the fight against the pandemic, saying “on behalf of ECOWAS Member States, we commend the support so far received from “development partners such as the European Union, African Development Bank, France and Germany for their financial contributions in the procurement of medical supplies. We also appreciate the swift interventions made to the West African Health Organisation and the Africa Centre for Disease Control by the Jack Ma Foundation”.
The ECOWAS Champion also approved the request by the ECOWAS Commission to assist in logistics support, using Nigeria’s capital territory (Abuja) as the hub for the distribution of the medical supplies to other ECOWAS Member States.
In his presentation to President Buhari during the meeting, Kassi-Brou, highlighted the need for the ECOWAS body to advocate for additional strategic assistance at continental and global levels; particularly with the G20, World Bank, United Nations and the African Development Bank. He noted that the support from these international partners will go a long way in alleviating the health and economic implication of COVID-19 on the region.
According to the West African Health Organisation COVID-19 statistics, the ECOWAS 15 Member States have so far recorded over 45,000 confirmed cases and 800 deaths.