The Diplomat
Spain will make a voluntary contribution of 100,000 euros to the ECOWAS Training Programme 2022 – 2023, corresponding to the year 2022, and specifically to the training of diplomats from West African countries.
The agreement was adopted by the Council of Ministers last Monday and represents a new contribution by Spain to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS-ECOWAS), a body that was created in 1975 with the aim of promoting economic cooperation and integration, as well as security in the region. It is made up of 15 member states and is the most important sub-regional organisation in Africa.
Spain is one of the EU countries that has made important bilateral financial contributions, promoting a solid relationship in the framework of development cooperation, working to identify areas for joint work to promote economic growth and sustainable development, according to the government.
Furthermore, our country maintains the promotion of multilateralism as a strategic objective of its foreign policy in Africa, with ECOWAS being the regional organisation with which it has developed the greatest cooperation. In this respect, it is worth noting the recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in the area of Women, Peace and Security, the government indicated.
The specific objective of the aid now approved is to contribute to the implementation of actions within the framework of the lines set out in the Third Africa Plan, which constitutes the strategic framework for relations with the continent, and to underline the priority that Spain gives to this organisation within the framework of the multilateral initiatives deployed on the continent.
The contribution will go towards the training of young ECOWAS diplomats, through a scholarship programme that aims to intensify Spain’s public diplomacy policy in Africa. The selected diplomats will study for a Master’s degree in Diplomatic Relations at the Diplomatic School in Madrid.
These diplomats will also take a Spanish course offered by the Cervantes Institute, to reinforce their knowledge of our language, and to promote the use and dissemination of Spanish in African institutions.
