Essien Abel Essien DIRECTOR, STATEGIC PLANNING UNIT ECOWAS COMMISSION

1. ECOWAS COMMISSION COMMISSION DE LA CEDEAO VISION, MISSION AND LONG TERM STRATEGIC PRIORITIES OF ECOWAS Essien Abel Essien DIRECTOR, STATEGIC PLANNING UNIT ECOWAS COMMISSION

2. OBJECTIVES • To communicate the ECOWAS Vision 2020 • To highlight the Mandate and Mission of the Commission • To present the long term strategic priorities of the Commission • To describe the frameworks used in defining the strategic plan

3. CONTENT PAGE • Background • Vision of ECOWAS • Mandate of the Commission • Mission of the Commission • The Strategic Plan – It’s Purpose • Strategic Priorities • Pyramids of Success & Translation • Conclusion

4. BACKGROUND (1 of 2) • Founded in 1975 • Comprises of a regional group of 15 countries • ECOWAS Secretariat transformed into a Commission in order to sustain the momentum of integration in West Africa • ECOWAS Institutions include: • The Commission • The Community Parliament • The Community Court Of Justice • ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) • ECOWAS Gender Development Centre • Inter-Governmental Action Group Against Money Laundering • ECOWAS Youth and Sports Development Centre • Water Resources Coordination Centre • West African Health Organization

5. BACKGROUND (2 of 2) • Region has competent and efficient manpower, and full support of developing partners • ECOWAS has recorded success albeit miniscule • Several challenges have bedeviled the integration process in recent times, e.g. the inability to fully implement the ECOWAS Monetary Cooperation Programme (EMCP), ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme (ETLS), lack of capacity, the global economic downturn, etc. • ECOWAS is currently refocusing its activities to align with the Vision set by the Authority of Heads of State and Government to become an ECOWAS of People

6. KEYWORDS ENABLERS • Borderless • Peace • Prosperity • Cohesion • Good governance • Access • Harnessing • Creation of opportunities OBJECTIVES • Sustainable development • Environmental preservation VISION OF ECOWAS • To create a borderless, peaceful, prosperous and cohesive region, built on good governance and where people have the capacity to access and harness its enormous resources through the creation of opportunities for sustainable development and environmental preservation

7. MANDATE OF THE COMMISSION • To coordinate all activities leading to the promotion of cooperation and integration among member states in order to raise the living standards of its people by enhancing their capacity to access and harness resources, maintain political and economic stability, through the pursuance of sound economic management and good governance, and adopting dialogue as a means of fostering relations among member states

8. MISSION OF THE COMMISSION • To promote cooperation and integration, leading to the establishment of an economic union in West Africa in order to raise the living standards of its people and to maintain and enhance economic stability, foster relations among Member States and contribute to the progress and development of the African Continent

9. THE STRATEGIC PLAN • IT’S PURPOSE • Raises the collective awareness of current and future issues and operations • Provides an opportunity for the community to participate in the process and take a genuine interest in their future • Indicates a “road map” for service delivery for the near and more distant future • Facilitates a reconciliation between past ways of doing things versus modern ideas and the projection of future service demand • Focuses on “what must be done”, “what can be delayed or eliminated”, “who will be served”, “what is the intended outcome”, and “who will provide the service, how, and to what level” • Aides the development of an outcome “planning” document suitable for developing action plans, creating timelines, and communication to the Community • Increases morale within the Community by developing a common sense of purpose and cohesion • Sets the stage for the Community’s institutions to operate at a new, purposeful, and efficient level

10. STRATEGIC PRIORITIES PRIORITY 1 Promote good governance and upgrade the conflict prevention, management and resolution mechanism PRIORITY 2 Promote a competitive business environment PRIORITY 3Sustained development and cooperation in the region PRIORITY 4Deepen economic and monetary integration PRIORITY 5Reinforce Institutional Capacity PRIORITY 6Strengthen the mechanism for integration into the global market

11. PRIORITY 1 > Promote good governance and upgrade the conflict prevention, management and resolution mechanism • Challenges • The need to mainstream conflict prevention into stabilization and post conflict interventions • The need to improve the regional management systems and human resources to be able to better manage multiple tasks efficiently and effectively • The need to improve the structural and operational architecture, e.g. social infrastructure, diplomacy, humanitarian issues etc. • Strategy • Mobilize the resources and enhance the strategies required to fulfill the Commission’s mission of maintaining peace, stability and security in the region, within the context of good governance, as a basis for sustainable development

12. PRIORITY 2 > Promote a competitive business environment • Challenges • Creation of a conducive business and work environment • Provision of basic economic and technological infrastructure • Education and skilLs development • Entrepreneurship and enterprise development • Innovation and creativity • Strategy • Provide the necessary policy input that would ensure regional and national competitiveness as well as a conducive business environment for the development of the private sector and build capacity to support a regional investment framework

13. PRIORITY 3 > Sustained development and cooperation in the region • Challenges • Lack of adequate social and physical infrastructure for the establishment of a strong and viable private sector • Absence of political will to implement the various protocols that would engender cross-border transactions, particularly those related to free movement of persons, goods, services, capital, etc. • Lack of capacity to manage the development process • Lack of coherence and consistency in collective bargaining and negotiation • Lack of an industrial policy harmonization agenda that would promote the orderly development of the industrial sector and facilitate cost reduction in the productive sectors of the regional economies • Strategy • Support and encourage all initiatives that would facilitate compliance with existing policies and protocols, and provide the enabling environment for sustained development in the region

14. PRIORITY 4 > Deepen economic and monetary integration • Challenges • Absence of common economic policies and legal, accounting and statistical frameworks • Lack of coherence and synergy in the multilateral surveillance mechanism of the various ECOWAS institutions responsible for implementing the ECOWAS Monetary Cooperation Program (EMCP) • Paucity of research on socio-economic development issues to aid the preparation of position statements and policy briefs to evaluate the status and depth of regional integration • Non-achievement of primary and secondary convergence criteria on a sustainable basis by member countries • Non-operationalisation of the relevant institutions (WACB, WAFSA, and WAMZ Secretariat) necessary for the establishment of the second monetary zone (WAMZ), the introduction of the ECO currency and ultimate single currency for the region • Strategy • Promote economic policy harmonization and monetary co-operation as a means of achieving macro economic convergence and eventual attainment of single currency within the region

15. PRIORITY 5 > Reinforce Institutional Capacity • Challenges • Low investments in human capital development • Lack of organizational culture, dearth of tools and unfriendly work environment • Inefficient organizational structures and poor management system that do not conform to modern and best standards of global practices • The region suffers grossly from low ICT penetration, knowledge, accessibility, availability and applicability • Strategy • To develop an efficient and functional work environment for enhanced productivity and the coordination of activities that are necessary for the timely realization of the Vision of the region

16. PRIORITY 6 > Strengthen the mechanism for integration into the global market • Challenges • The institution of a strategic planning and programming system that would not only be forward looking, but key into the vision of the region and mirror the expectation of the international development partners • Lack of effective mechanism for an integrated approach to trade promotion • Low value addition and poor quality of products emanating from the region that would make them competitive in the international market • Poor state of infrastructure in the region, which remains regrettable, disastrous and production-reductive • The current global crisis, global meltdown contagion (GMDC) and their likely effects on aids and foreign direct investments flow • Strategy • Implementation of the ECOWAS Vision 2020, Strategic Plans of ECOWAS Institutions and the creation of a favourable environment for effective integration into the global market

17. PYRAMID OF SUCCESS Where are we going? A borderless, peaceful, prosperous and cohesive region, built on good governance, and where people have the capacity to access and harness its enormous resources through the creation of opportunities for sustainable development and environmental preservation. What are we here to do? Coordinate all activities leading to the promotion of cooperation and integration among member states in order to raise the living standards of its people, by enhancing their capacity to access and harness resources, maintain political and economic stability, through the pursuance of sound economic management and good governance, and adopting dialogue as a means of fostering relations among member states. VISION How are we going to achieve this?...What plan should we follow?...How do we know when we have met our goals?...How do we keep on track? MISSION STRATEGY How do we do this? The methods and tools necessary to achieve our mission. It involves preparing the best way to respond to the circumstances of the organization's environment, whether or not these circumstances are known in advance CAPABILITIES ARCHITECTURE Processes Technology Organization How should we structure our capabilities to realize value and work efficiently as an organization? Good Governance Facilities Culture Good Governance Funding Institutions People

18. PYRAMID OF TRANSLATION ECOWAS CITIZENS END POINT of Delivery to ECOWAS Citizen There is a need to ensure that only viable programs/projects (aligned to the vision) are embarked upon, internal resources are properly directed for effective implementation, and resources are properly managed to ensure program/project sustenance over time. Programs/projects can only be successfully delivered to ECOWAS citizens within an established program management framework. PROGRAMS /PROJECTS Managing the financial resources for the programs and projects These are key drivers of an effective process management system as they continuously ensure that the right people occupy the right positions, and they possess the right tools to carry out their duties. FINANCE (management) PEOPLE MGMT SYSTEM ICT FACILITIES A process management system defines how a business operates and the way in which it delivers value to both to its internal and external customers. Processes involve both manual and automated activities, and integrating these activities into a seamless and harmonious flow provides process excellence and competitive/cost cutting advantages. CONTROL SYSTEM(Components – M&E, AUDIT, ICT etc.) CULTURE PROCESS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Ownership/ Responsibilities Business Process Manual Business Rules/ Authority Limits/ Operations Manual Having defined the vision, finances must be sourced in-house and through external channels to translate the vision into reality. Reports Automation Support Key Performance Indicators Data Forms FINANCE (mobilization of resources) START POINT of Delivery to ECOWAS Citizen ECOWAS VISION

19. CONCLUSION • The regional architecture has to fit the vision. • Architectural Review should be in seven key areas • Institutional Arrangement • Process Redesign • Control Systems • Communication • ICT Infrastructure • Financial Strategy • Strategic Alliance

20. THANK YOU MERCI OBRIGADO