The prime minister will return to Africa to attend the Economic Community of West African States conference; he is to sign multiple agreements on areas of cooperation.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to depart on Saturday evening to Liberia to attend the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) conference and meet with several West African leaders, including those from Liberia, Togo and Côte d’Ivoire.
ECOWAS is made up of fifteen member states from the region: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo. It defines itself as having “a mandate of promoting economic integration in all fields of activity of the constituting countries.”
The Israeli premier is to sign various agreements, including a joint statement that will emphasize cooperation in agriculture, desertification and climate change, water, trade, education, health, homeland security, communications, energy, culture, science, and the fight against terrorism.
Netanyahu is also to sign an agreement to implement the Israel-ECOWAS understandings regarding international cooperation, which focus on three areas: food security and alleviating poverty; agriculture, rural development, water resources development, and anti-desertification; and training and professional guidance for both personnel from ECOWAS and from member states.
Netanyahu will be accompanied by Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz, Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel, Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely and MK Avraham Neguise, who was born in Ethiopia.
This visit to West Africa follows Netanyahu’svisit to East Africa last year. His stated goal is to strengthen ties with the continent.
This October, the prime minister is due to visit Togo for an Africa-Israel conference.
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