New ECOWAS Commissioners take up posts
Six new Commissioners of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have assumed duty at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria.
They replace some of the pioneer Commissioners whose four-year tenure ended on 31 January 2012. The tenure of the pioneer seventh Commissioner, Dr. Adrienne Diop, will end in June 2012.
Following its transformation in 2007 from an Executive Secretariat to a Commission, the ECOWAS Commission is run by a leadership comprising a President, Vice President and seven Commissioners.
The new Commissioners emerged from a recent recruitment exercise, validated by the ECOWAS Council of Ministers at an Extra-Ordinary Meeting on 14 January 2012.
They are Dr. Lapodini Marc Atouga of Togo for Agriculture, Environment and Water Resources; Mr. Hamid Ahmed of Niger for Trade, Customs, Industry, Mines and Free Movement and Ambassador Ibrahim Ba of Mali for Macroeconomic Policy.
Others are Mr. Ebrima Njie of The Gambia for Infrastructure; Mrs. Khady Ramatu Sacco of Sierra Leone for Administration and Finance and Mrs. Salamatu Suleiman of Nigeria for Political Affairs, Peace and Security.
The incoming Vice President, Dr. Toga Mckintosh, until now Liberia's Foreign Minister, will be joining the Commission later this month.
Speaking during a brief ceremony 1 February in Abuja, Commission president James Victor Gbeho welcomed the new Commissioners and hoped that they would use their vast, varied and impressive experiences in pursuit of the goals of the regional organization.
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