ECOWAS Commissioner for Human Resources pays a working visit to ECREEE

Praia, 3/July/18 - The ECOWAS Commissioner for Human Resources, His Excellency Dr. Jeremias Furtado payed a working visit to the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE), with the double purpose to auscultate and be aware of the concerns of the staff and also present one of the major programs of his commissariat which is the ECOWAS Pension Scheme.

On July 3^rd, 2018, the new ECOWAS Commissioner for Human Resources, Dr. Jeremias Furtado payed a visit to the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE). On his agenda was the presentation of one of his major programs related to the ECOWAS pension and retirement scheme, which in his opinion, is a critical issue to be taken care off, taking into account that it is an concern that affects the working conditions and the dignity of all of those who dedicated their lives to serve the community.

Dr. Jeremias Furtado was received by the Executive Director of ECREEE and in his opening remarks, he expressed great satisfaction by the visit of the Commissioner, due to the fact that the His Excellency has begun his mandate, having the people at the center stage of his concerns, this due to the fact that ECOWAS should work towards the vision to transform an ECOWAS of States to an ECOWAS of people. According to the Commissioner, a lot of work has to be done and such should be done with the people, by the people and for the people.  This is a goal that in his opinion will boost the results of the commission while working towards a common objective.

In his remarks to the staff, the Commissioner demonstrated the importance of working towards achievable objectives and revealed a strong commitment to work with the vision to improve livelihood conditions of the ECOWAS citizens, who are the people who everyone working for ECOWAS has committed to serve. Therefore he urged staff to be productive and give the best of their knowledge and abilities in favor of the Economic Community of the West African States.

Mr. Mahama Kappiah, Executive Director of ECREEE took the floor to make a presentation of the Centre, its mission, vision, strategic objectives and how the Centre has been able to have a positive impact in the ECOWAS citizens by the many projects that Centre has been able to implement until now. The director stressed the importance of strategic partnerships, while presenting the great contributes that partners such as the Government of Spain (AECID), the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), the Government of Cabo Verde, the United Nations for Industrial Development (UNIDO) and World Bank Group has been given to the deployment and development of ECREEE.

In her intervention, Mrs. Obiageli Ray-Oleru, ECOWAS Pension Desk officer, made a presentation on the ECOWAS Pension Fund Scheme, elaborating on how the system works and how people can make their contributions, so that they can rest assured that the ECOWAS Commissariat for Human Resources, is concerned about the future of those who have dedicated their lives to serve the region.

The visit also provided a platform so that the staff of the Centre was able to interact with the Commissioner in order to know his vision for the next four years and how he intends to tackle many of the challenges faced by the human resources sphere. One of the subjects brought by Dr. Furtado, was the fact the ECOWAS should make a relentless effort to perform at its best level and provide that best outcomes possible. He also emphasized that and under his watch, that is an objective worth working towards to.