The ECOWAS Commission is about to launch a television channel and a radio station in every country in the region that will broadcast programs promoting regional integration. These programs will focus on subjects that the Commission believes are powerful engines for regional development, in particular, on science, technology and innovation. Read on

African leaders gathered from 10-15 October at the Summit on Maritime Security and safety, held in Lomé within the African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government. Twenty-two African delegations adopted the African Charter on Maritime Security, Safety and Development. The Charter aims to put into place an African strategy for the protection of its seas and oceans, to ensure peace, security and stability, and to make the African maritime space the key driver for sustainable economic development. Read on

The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) announced that the average UEMOA GDP is expected to grow by 7.1% in 2016. This is less than the growth rate that was forecast during the first two trimesters, but it is slightly above the 2015 growth rate of 7%. The region’s prospects for growth in the medium-term are positive overall, despite consistent security concerns in member countries such as Mali or Niger. Read on

As the main component of the ECOWAS Food Storage Strategy, the Regional Food Security Reserve constitutes a third line of response to crises, after local/community-level and national food reserves. Adopted in February 2013 at the ECOWAS Heads of State Conference in Yamoussoukro, the reserve is an important instrument of regional solidarity. Read on