The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have appointed Nigeria President Muhammadu Buhari as the coordinator of the sub-regions’ response to COVID19.
This was made known in a tweet by the Nigeria’s presidential spokesman Femi Adesina on Thursday.
“ECOWAS leaders at an extraordinary summit held by video conference have appointed President Muhammadu Buhari as Champion that will coordinate the COVID-19 response in the sub-region. All the other Presidents will be available to support President Buhari,” he tweeted.
ECOWAS leaders had deliberated on the effects of COVID19 which has halted economic and normal activities in their countries during a summit held via video conference.
Chairman of the ECOWAS and President of Niger Republic, Mahamadou Issoufou, during his opening remarks lamented about the effects of the novel virus on the people and economies of the member-states.
The chairman called for collaborative efforts among the member-states to combat the pandemic, which he, said had already claimed many lives in the region.
The Nigerien president, who spoke in the French language, also advocated for total debts cancellation for African countries to enable the African continent to survive the post-COVID19 era.
