- The eleven heads of state of the ECCAS members have appointed Mr Gilberto Da Piedade Verissimo from Angola as president of the new institution
- The new team will work from Libreville, headquarters of the institution.
The Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) has completed its structural reforms. It has appointed a president and a new team following reforms that inter alia dissolved the general secretariat.
The eleven heads of state of the ECCAS members have appointed Mr Gilberto Da Piedade Verissimo from Angola as president of the new institution. It has been bestowed with more powers to accelerate regional integration. The new team will work from Libreville, headquarters of the institution.
Speaking to the media after taking charge, the president of the ECCAS Commission said that security and the free movement of goods and people between member states would be the top priorities of his five-year term. The mandate will also include  resolving the situations in CAR; Democratic Republic of Congo; Boko Haram in Chad and Cameroon. The stability and peace in these countries are imperative for the development in the sub-region. He added that ECCAS also has to work out mechanisms to facilitate visas for cross border travel.
ECCAS was set up 37 years ago in Libreville, but lags behind other regional organizations such as ECOWAS and SADC in terms of integration. The region rich in oil, minerals, wood and other natural resources lack basic infrastructure like roads that hinders access to this market of 150 million consumers.
