The President of the ECOWAS Commission, H.E. Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, received in audience the Executive Director of the World Institute for Nuclear Security (WINS), Dr. Lars van Dassen, during a high-level courtesy visit held on 2 May 2025 at the ECOWAS Headquarters in Abuja. The visit aimed to advance dialogue on regional capacity building, training, and strategic governance frameworks for the secure and responsible use of high-impact technologies, including nuclear science for development.
Dr. van Dassen was accompanied by a delegation from WINS, underscoring the organisation’s commitment to engage with West African institutions in co-developing tailored approaches to safety, regulatory strengthening, and public benefit applications across key sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, and energy.
President Touray welcomed the delegation, reaffirming ECOWAS’s leadership in supporting innovation that aligns with regional development priorities. “We must ensure that the region is equipped to govern the technologies shaping our future—securely, transparently, and with citizen wellbeing at the core,” he stated.
The meeting brought together senior ECOWAS officials, including Dr. Cyriaque Agnekethom, Director for Peacekeeping and Regional Security; General Mactar Diop, Chief of the ECOWAS Standby Force; and other technical experts from the Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security (PAPS). Their presence highlighted the cross-cutting relevance of the initiative to regional security, governance, and sustainable development.
Discussions focused on future cooperation in training, regulatory dialogue, and institutional preparedness, as well as raising awareness on the safe management of sensitive technologies. This partnership aligns with the objectives of ECOWAS Vision 2050, which seeks to strengthen resilience and innovation as pillars of a peaceful, integrated, and prosperous West Africa.
The ECOWAS Commission expressed its readiness to collaborate with WINS in building the capacities required to harness scientific and technological advancement in a way that serves the public good and supports Africa’s development agenda.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
