Minister of Economy Welcomes General Consensus on Relaunching Regional Cooperation in Sahel

On 14 December, in Brussels, Mr. Abdessalam Ould Mohamed Saleh, the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, participated in the 10th Contact Group of the Sahel Coalition at the level of Senior Officials, at the invitation of the High Representative, Mr. Hamadi Meimou.

The meeting was held in the presence of Mr. Oumar Touray, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Mr. Leonardo Santos Simão, the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), Mr. Awad Sakine Ahmat the Permanent Representative of the African Union to the European Union and the ACP, Ms. Martha Pobee, the Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations for Africa, and Ms. Emanuela del Re, the Special Representative of the European Union for the Sahel.

Around 40 states as well as regional and international organizations, from the Sahel, Africa, and beyond, collectively reflected on how to work together in a changing environment in the Sahel.

The central role of regional political dialogue, particularly mediations undertaken at the ECOWAS level, was underlined as well as the urgency to react to the challenges posed by the context of exacerbated political, security, and humanitarian challenges.

A consensus emerged on the importance of strengthening coordination between regional institutions and initiatives in the Sahel, in the spirit of effectively strengthening African integration, and of seeing maintained and strengthened support from international partners in terms of development, stabilization, and security.