The Department of State for Trade, Industry and Employment on
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Madam Naffie Barry, Deputy Permanent secretary, Department of State for Trade, Industry and Employment, said that non-state actors are known to be capable of playing key roles in the integration process due to their ability to build synergies with similar grassroots organizations and possesses the flexibility to adapt to changing situations.
According to her, inadequate financial resources, poor organizational management and coordination, impede the ability of non-state actors to leverage their individual and collective expertise to address issues using innovative and creative approaches.
She added that due to these constraints, ECOWAS with support from EU is partnering on the call for proposals from non State actors to strengthen their capacities.
She noted that dialogue has started between ECOWAS/UEMOA/EU and non-state actors in March 2008 where regional non-state actors express enthusiasm on this new initiative and request for training to build their capacity.
For his part, Mr. Kennedy Barsisa, Principal Programme Officer, Youth and Sport Employment at ECOWAS, said the commission was working in close collaboration with the UEMOA Commission to secure support from the European Union under the regional indicative programme of the European Development Fund.
Within the frame work of this support, he added, an amount targeted at providing assistance to the implementation of the ECOWAS regional policies and gradual integration of the region into the global economy has been earmarked to promote the call for proposals from non-state actors.