What is this talk about socio-economic integration and fast tracking the gains ECOWAS? "We are similar people regardless of colonial boundaries"?

Nigeria, Benin, Togo sign integration pact

From Madu Onuorah, Abuja

NIGERIA and her two western neighbors, Benin Republic and Togo yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) towards the socio-economic integration of the three nations.


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Christened the "Nigeria-Benin-Togo Co-Prosperity Partnership", the MOU establishing it was signed by Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Boni Yayi (Benin) and Faure Gnassingbe (Togo) in Abuja.

However, Obasanjo, said that the pact was absolutely "not a political agenda but an economic-oriented and development-centred initiative."

Nigeria, he noted, "has neither territorial ambition nor the intention to dominate her neighbours. We, however, believe in shared prosperity with our neighbours."

He said that the partnership became imperative because of the "critical need for us to fast-track the achievements and gains we have made under ECOWAS by pulling together, whenever possible, our resources, so that we may effectively respond to the socio-economic challenges facing our peoples within the context of a fast-globalising economy."

The three nations, the President stated, "significantly, are to the large extent, one and the same people situated across the West African Coastline and separated by the accident of colonial history."

Moreover, he added, they all share high levels of illiteracy, inadequate healthcare delivery systems, severely underdeveloped internal and cross-border transport and communications systems, large-scale unemployment and spiral and rapidly population growths.

The signing of the MOU and the inauguration of the Partnership, Obasanjo said, climaxed longstanding wish by the political leadership and the peoples of the three nations to fashion out a jointly beneficial framework of cooperation that will adequately address yearnings for economic development through functional integration in the face of global challenges.

The Partnership intends to achieve the following:

* Harness the three nations' joint material and human resources for the collective benefits of their peoples;

* rededicating themselves to targeted socio-economic integration programmes and fundamental improvement of joint development efforts;

* encouraging concrete and meaningful joint ventures and structured development through a productive partnership of the three governments and their organised private sectors.

The three summit leaders agreed that the operations of the institutions of the Partnership would commence immediately.

Consequently, President Obasanjo has directed the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prof. Joy Ogwu to immediately secure an office accommodation in Lagos that will house the permanent secretariat of the Partnership. The choice of Lagos is dictated by proximity to the three nations and ease of contact.

The secretariat, which is to be headed by an Executive Secretary, will also be manned by two deputies and support staff which "has to be lean, compact and effectively manageable."

I think this is a good intitiative, as long as the objective is maintained and goals are clearly defined for effective and efficient completion.

I just hope that this will be the African equivalent the the successful European Union

That is very ambitious man

But it would mean the great growth and development of of WEST AFRICA.

3 African Nations? Well we shall see how they are able to mismanage this one.
It would be very intereting to see how the power will be distributed. I guess this is where the analogy of Nigeria swallowing the two other smaller nations comes into play.

I guess the power will be distributed in the same fashion as the EU distributes its power. In other words the more powerful nation gets more say than the other meaning Nigeria will get full control of the whole say!!

These are the kinds of partnership needed to succeed in this 21st century globalized world.
you can't be isolationist.