The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) called for enhanced cross-border cooperation for peace, security and climate resilience at the opening ceremony of the Abidjan 2024 Border Forum on October 23.
The event, which brought together African leaders, focused on border management, regional security and environmental cooperation, according to a statement from the regional organisation to APA on Monday.
“The forum presents a vision in which contiguous borders are no longer perceived as barriers, but as spaces of opportunity for cooperation and integration, in line with the ECOWAS ideal of promoting resilient and prosperous communities across West Africa,†it said.
The Commissioner General of the event, Diakalidia Konaté, praised the commitment of the participants and recalled that the meeting aims to establish border governance at different levels capable of addressing security and climate challenges.
The German ambassador to Cote d’Ivoire, Matthias Veltin, expressed his country’s support for the stability of African borders and underlined the importance of the Integrated Border Stability Mechanism (IBSM) launched in Abidjan.
For her part, Massandjé Toure-Litse, ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, urged the region’s states to see borders as “bridges of unity” rather than factors of division. She also highlighted ECOWAS’ financial contribution of 60 million CFA francs to promote regional cooperation.
The Ivorian Minister of the Interior, General Vagondo Diomandé, reaffirmed his country’s commitment to border stability and regional integration, in line with the forum’s objectives.
ODL/te/sf/lb/as/APA
