President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to depart Abuja Monday for Niamey, Niger Republic to participate in the 57th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government.

According to a statement issued by Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media & Publicity) in Abuja on Sunday, the one-day summit will deliberate on the Special Report on COVID-19 to be presented by President Buhari who was appointed the ECOWAS Champion on the fight against COVID-19 during the Extraordinary Virtual Summit of ECOWAS on April 23, 2020.

The statement informed that as a Champion, President Buhari was expected to coordinate the sub-regional response against the pandemic.

It said in furtherance of that objective, under the supervision of the Champion, Ministers of Health, Aviation and Finance were appointed Chairpersons of the Ministerial Coordination Committees on Health; Transport, Logistics and Trade; and Finance respectively.

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The statement added that the Summit will also receive a Special Report on the ECOWAS Single Currency Programme to be presented by President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone and Chair of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ), and President Alassane Ouattara, who is Chair of the West African Economic Monetary Union (WAEMU/UEMOA).

The President of the ECOWAS Commission, Jean Claude Kassi Brou will present to the West African leaders, the 2020 Interim Report on activities of the sub-regional body including ECOWAS Vision 2050.

It further stated: “The alarming rise in incidents of terrorism, insurgency, armed banditry and piracy will also come under focus, while the disruption of the democratic process by the military in Mali, will receive further attention.

“Similarly, in Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea and Niger where parliamentary and presidential elections are scheduled for this year, the imperative to strengthen democracy in the sub-region by respecting constitutional provisions, rule of law and outcomes of free and fair polls, will be emphasized.

It said President Buhari, who will be accompanied to the Summit by ministers and other top government officials, will return to Abuja after the meeting.