The 50^th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government takes place on Saturday, December 17, 2016 here in Abuja, Nigeria with Her Excellency Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as Chair of ECOWAS Authority chairing proceedings.

According to a dispatch from Abuja, Nigeria, items high on the agenda include discussions on the political situation in The Gambia and Guinea Bissau.

Also, the Heads of State and Government will discuss the 2016 Annual Report of the Presentation of the ECOWAS Commission, Report of the 77^th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers, and the Report of the 37^th Session of the Mediation and Security Council.

They will also decide on the date and venue of the 51^st Ordinary Session of the Authority, sign the Community Acts and Decisions as well as discuss the ECOWAS Strategy for elections to African position.

Before the closed door deliberations, at the opening ceremony, the President and Commander-in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari will welcome his colleagues to Abuja, Nigeria; followed by a statement by the President of the ECOWAS Commission, His Excellency Marcel A. de Souza; a statement by the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for West Africa and Sahel, His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, and a statement by the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Her Excellency Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.

Meanwhile, the Chair of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers, Liberia’s Foreign Minister has thanked her colleagues for the high level of engagement, the candid and insightful comments expressed on each of the items discussed during deliberations at the 77^th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Commission.

“This spirit of openness enabled us to reach consensus and to complete deliberations in a timely manner,” she said.

Liberia’s Foreign Minister, Madam Marjon V. Kamara made the assertions at the end of the 77^th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Commission that took place at the ECOWAS Commission ahead of the 50^th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government.

She said the agenda was ambitious and somewhat intimidating at the beginning, but noted that the deliberation was managed well. “In a full day of deliberations, we considered issues germane to the long term viability of the Community which ranged from institutional reform and cost containment measures aimed at right sizing the structure of the Community and ensuring the most efficient use of resources, which have implications for the 2017 budget,” she stressed.

Minister Kamara added that the Council also discussed the welfare of the citizens of the Community, especially those who are being displaced by terrorist attacks in some Member States, and the need to ensure full adherence to the protocol on free movement of people and goods was acknowledged by the meeting through the ECOWAS taxi documentary.

“We resolved to take the necessary actions realizing the potential negative impact on our regional integration effort,” she indicated.

The Chair of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers thanked the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the facilities for the facilities, and the staff of the Commission for the organization of the meeting, including the documentation.

During the two-day deliberation, 17 items  were discussed ranging from the presentation and consideration of the 2016 Annual Report of the President of the Commission, presentation and consideration of a memorandum on amendment of protocol establishing the ECOWAS Brown Card, presentation and consideration of a memorandum on implementation of the Common External Tariff (CET), presentation and consideration of a memorandum on the Organogram of ECOWAS Commission, presentation and validation of cross-border cooperation programme, report of ECOWAS Ministers in charge of security and migration dialogue for West Africa (MIDWA) and cross-border cooperation programme 2016-2020, and the draft agenda of the 50^th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, among others.

There are also four items for the Council of Ministers endorsement, including the Information note on ONE Health, the operationalization of the Regional Center for Disease Control (ECOWAS/CDC), report of the meeting of Ministers in charge of ICT, and ECOWAS Action Plan to address Illicit Drug Trafficking, Organized Crime and Drug Abuse in West Africa 2016-2020, and eight items for information.