The Federal Government has granted waivers, exemptions on building materials and equipment for the new headquarters of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) project in Abuja.
The Ad Hoc Ministerial Committee on the Construction of the project that made this known in a meeting in Abuja, commended the Nigerian government and also thanked the Peoples’ Republic of China for funding the construction project.
The construction, which started last December, will house the ECOWAS Secretariat, the Parliament and the Community’s Court of Justice. Christened as ‘Eye of West Africa’, it will be completed by 2025.
The meeting, which had in attendance members of the committee drawn from various member states and officials of the ECOWAS Commission, adopted the progress report of its expert committee on the construction works at the new building.
In her opening remarks, the Vice-President of the ECOWAS Commission, Mrs. Damtien Tchintchibidja, thanked the Federal government for the gesture. Tchintchibidja urged the committee to review challenges that could impede the successful completion of the project with a view of solving them using diplomatic means.
The commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalisation, Mr. Sediko Douka, noted the contributions of the committee early in the conception/design stage of the construction project with one of their key recommendations being the engagement of a quality assurance firm.
Douka stated that the experts in the committee have always played a crucial role in the project actualisation with the vital professional opinions reflected in the progress report.
He reiterated the project timeline of 26 months given by the contractor for project completion and wished the committee fruitful deliberations.
Chairperson of the Ad Hoc Ministerial Committee, who is also the Minister of Works and Public Assets of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Peter Bayuku Conteh, in his brief remarks, thanked the experts of the committee for doing thorough work by visiting the construction site and preparing a construction status update report, which will be presented for adoption at the meeting.
Conteh encouraged all the members to work harmoniously towards ensuring that the Chinese contractor handling the project delivered on time and to the required standards.
He expressed optimism that with the cooperation of all stakeholders, the community will have a modern and befitting work environment for the benefit of the citizenry of the region.
Among the Committee’s recommendations are the need for a quarterly implementation progress report, the participation of the maintenance division in the construction work to facilitate knowledge transmission, and the Chinese contractor’s adherence to environmental, health and safety laws.