Stephen Teeuwen
Technical secretary
Since August 2020, the Environmental Directorate of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the NCEA are working together on improving various aspects of Environmental Assessment systems in the region. The most notable area of cooperation concerns the harmonisation of EA legislation through the development of a regional directive.
Significant details
The collaboration between ECOWAS and the NCEA focuses on two key topics: the process of legal harmonization and support for the development of products supporting environmental assessment.
- Support from the NCEA on the harmonization process within ECOWAS. The NCEA will be a strategic partner in the harmonization process by providing, where appropriate, advice on the documents developed during the process. (See also our work with UEMOA).
- Support for other processes related to environmental assessment. Given its mandate, the NCEA can support environmental assessment, as defined according to international good practice. Parties explored how planned activities relate to an EE process and where the NCEA's support has the most added value.
Starting in 2021, ESY-map workshops will be held in the various ECOWAS member states in order to gain a better understanding of the differences and similiarities between their EA-systems. The first ESY-map was conducted in the Gambia in November 2021.