Council of European Union’s Africa Working Party (COAFR) is in Abuja on a four-day visit.
A statement by head of EU delegation to Nigeria, said the team will engage government agencies, civil society, regional and international bodies as well as private sector in Abuja and Lagos.
The statement hinted COAFR supervises and manage EU external policy towards the 46 countries of sub-Sahara Africa, African Union and others, including ECOWAS.
COAFR comprises representatives of 27 EU member states, chaired by a permanent member of European External Action Service (EEAS), and assisted by representatives of the commission and General Secretariat.
It works under the auspices of European Union’s Foreign Affairs Council (FAC), itself comprising ministers of Foreign Affairs, Defence and/or development of 27 member states of European Union.
The team, while in Abuja, will meet top federal officials in Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Office of the National Security Adviser, Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, among others.
They will also have an interactive session with ECOWAS Commission on regional developments and integration processes.
While in Lagos, the team will meet Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, consuls general of EU member states, leadership of European Business Chamber Nigeria, and visit EU-funded projects, featuring digital and innovation, critical infrastructure and connectivity and migration.
The statement said “deliberations will centre on boosting EU-Nigeria partnership”.
“COAFR visits to African countries promote direct contact, mutual information exchange and feedback between political and foreign policy organs of European Union and their African counterparts…’’
They play an important role on taking stock of state and non-state actors views, perspectives, aspirations and expectations regarding their partnership with the European Union, its closest neighbour and its sister continent.
The team will commence a similar visit to the neighbouring Republic of Benin at the end of its current mission in Nigeria.
This is the group’s first-ever working visit to Nigeria. In addition to the representatives of 17 EU member states, officials from EU institutions are expected to be in the team.
This year’s working visit will be the eleventh visit of the COAFR to the African continent, and the third visit to West Africa – following earlier visits to Senegal and Burkina Faso (2015) and Ivory Coast and Ghana (2019).
