Twenty months after it announced to move its Embassy in Nigeria’s Federal Capital, Abuja, Cabo Verde (Cape Verde) has expressed the commitment as part of plans to deepen diplomatic relations with Nigeria.
The Cabo Verde Minister of Regional integration, Rui Figueiredo Soares, restated during a visit to the ECOWAS Commission where he held talks with some Management staff in order to have a first-hand insight into the workings of the Commission.
On March 29, 2019, Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, said via his Twitter handle @hadisirika, that he met with Prime Minister of Cape Verde, Ulisses Correia e Silva, on locating its embassy in Abuja.
Announcing that Nigeria and Cape Verde were cementing their diplomatic ties and finalising plans to open an embassy in Nigeria before the end of 2019, Sirika further revealed plans by Cape Verde to commence direct flights to Nigeria in 2019, saying that the move was consistent with the government’s plans to deepen regional air connectivity.
Details of Minister Soares meeting with with Ambassadors of ECOWAS Member States during his visit November 27, 2020 shows that he restated the coming establishment of embassy of Cape Verde in Abuja, a move expected to facilitate more intensive interactions with the diplomatic community as well as a statement of the country’s desirability for a more strategic relations with ECOWAS Member States with shared values and common infrastructure.
Minister Soares began his two-day multiple discussions at a closed-door meeting with the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, where issues of mutual interest between his country and the Commission were considered.
He subsequently met with the Auditor General of ECOWAS Institutions, Mr. Alfred Braimah and the Commissioner for Finance, Mrs. Halima Ahmed, the Commissioner for Infrastructure, Mr. Lat Gueye and the Commissioner for Education, Science and Culture counterpart, Mr. Leopoldo Amado, before proceeding to meet with the Director of Conference and Protocol, Mrs. Olukemi Robinson-Atabuh and the Acting Director, General Administration, Mr. Charles Deh.
Minister Soares who also had engagements with Nigerian government officials, disclosed that his visit was to enable him have a hands-on experience on the operations of the Commission, in a renewed effort at ensuring a more dynamic Cape Verde within the ECOWAS fold.
Accompanied by the ECOWAS Commissioner for Human Resources, Dr. Jeremias Dias Furtado, the presentation featured the ECOWAS Organizational chart, overall objectives of the Human Resources Directorate as well as the goals of the organization, and a presentation of gifts.