The President of the ECOWAS Commission, His Excellency Kadré Désiré Ouédraogo 
has called for proposals from stakeholders to improve communication and 
cooperation for coordinated implementation of regional programmes in Member 
States.
 
"Enhancing the coordination and synergy of actions by various actors in the 
Community is essential in ensuring the coherent implementation of Community 
programmes," the President said in a speech at the opening of the 7th annual 
Retreat of officials from the ECOWAS Commission and Community institutions, at 
Uyo, the Akwa   Ibom State capital on Thursday, 14th March 2013.
 
Describing the retreat as an extension of the ongoing stakeholders’ dialogue, 
the President Ouédraogo said this first session under the present management 
would have an added dimension of providing an opportunity for insight into "huge 
regional integration projects" for the realization of the dream of the founding 
fathers for the socio-economic integration of the region.
 
He said the projects were an expression of the region’s commitment to 
"accelerate the realisation of a developed and integrated West Africa supported 
not only by dense and complementary infrastructure reinforced by the creation of 
an enabling regional environment while increasing the capacity for resilience of 
their economies."
 
Through the platform provided by the retreat, the ECOWAS chief said the 
stakeholders would "outline the different response strategies being deployed to 
address the current challenges confronting the region" which require concerted 
action.
 
In opening the meeting, Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom urged the 
stakeholders to work towards accelerating the region’s integration, saying that 
this held the key to regional economic development and safeguarding the welfare 
of the citizens since none of the 15 Member States could go it alone.
 
Citing the experience of the European Union which is vigorously pursuing its 
integration project despite the superior economic status of its member states, 
the governor said this should serve as evidence for West Africa about the value 
of the enterprise.
 
The ECOWAS delegation was hosted to a dinner by Governor Akpabio during which 
they were treated to the culinary specialities of the state, its rich culture 
and the vibrancy of its youth, including a solo violin rendition of Nigeria's 
National Anthem by four-year-old Precious Victor Eka followed with equally 
entertaining local songs on saxophone by his nine-year-old older