Gambia for West African integration

Gambia: Gambian President Yahya Jammeh urged the Economic Community of Western African States (ECOWAS) on Sunday to speed up integration among its members.

Speaking at a meeting with female lawmakers from the regional organization, Jammeh said that 35 years after the creation of the ECOWAS, “we are still more divided than before”.

He expressed dissatisfaction with the insufficient development of infrastructures, trade relations and the non-implementation of a common tariff in the region.

The Gambian head of State lamented the existence of several currencies in the ECOWAS member countries, which contributes to the lack of unity between French-speaking and English-speaking nations.

In the latest ECOWAS summits, the delegations have dealt with major issues such as the creation of a customs union, the negotiation of agreements on economic association and the development of agriculture.

The ECOWAS, which promotes regional political integration and cooperation among its 15 member countries, is made up of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leona and Togo.

Banjul, Prensa Latina