The High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in Nigeria Thambirajah Raveenthiran presented his credentials to the President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Jean-Claude Kassi Bro, as Sri Lanka's Permanent Representative to the ECOWAS, at a ceremony held in Abuja on 09 October 2018.
The President of the ECOWAS warmly welcomed the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka and assured that all required support would be given to him in his efforts to promote fruitful relations between Sri Lanka and the ECOWAS. The Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka appreciated the crucial role that the ECOWAS is playing, especially in regional integration and promoting peace and stability in the region.
The ECOWAS was established in 1975 by the Treaty of Lagos with the objective of promoting economic cooperation among all 15 West African countries. The ultimate objective of the organization is to establish a borderless West Africa where goods, services and people could move unimpeded. Among other ambitious projects of the ECOWAS in the pipeline are a common currency, a custom union and a common market.
The ECOWAS countries occupy a total area of 5,114,162 sq. km and have a young population of 349 million. Their collective GDP is 675 billion USD. This is the first time that a Sri Lankan envoy has presented credentials to the ECOWAS.
