On 15 November 2023, 27 EU Member states and 47 of the 79 Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) member states at the sideline of the 73rd United Nations General Assembly signed the Samoa Agreement in Apia, Samoa.
The agreement set the detailed action and framework for cooperation and promote sustainable development between the European Union (EU) and OACPS.
The Samoa Agreement brings together 79 member states of the OACPS and 27 member states of the European Union to represent close to 2 billion people with diverse socio-economic backgrounds.
The OACPS, comprising African, Caribbean and Pacific States, was established in 1975 under the “Georgetown Agreement”.
The organisation’s key goals are sustainable development and the reduction of poverty in its Member States and their deeper inclusion into the world economy.
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This was formerly recognised as the African, Caribbean and Pacific Community (ACP). Nigeria became a full member of the OACPS on 6 June 1975 and has been working together with members of the OACPS and the European Union to address global challenges.
What Does The Samoa Agreement Mean?
The Samoa agreement was a replacement of the Cotonou agreement which was due to expire in February 2020.
The agreement aims to strengthen the capacity of the EU and the ACP countries to address global challenges together.
It lays down common principles and covers the following six priority areas which are: democracy and human rights, sustainable economic growth and development, climate change, human and social development, peace and security, and migration and mobility.
According to the European Council, the Samoa agreement aims to promote development and ensure economic growth across all regions.
ROUNDCHECK discovered that the agreement includes focus on the regions’ specific needs and a common foundation at ACP level combined with three regional protocols for Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.
The agreement will serve as the new legal framework for the next twenty years, succeeding the Cotonou agreement for both the EU and OACPS.
The Cotonou Agreement
The previous partnership framework, the Cotonou agreement, was adopted in 2000 to replace the 1975 Lomé Convention. It was concluded for a 20-year period.
The Cotonou agreement was initially due to expire in February 2020. It aimed to reduce and eventually eradicate poverty and contribute to the gradual integration of the ACP countries into the world economy.
It was based on three pillars: development cooperation, economic and trade cooperation and political dimension.
Did Nigeria Sign The Samoa agreement?
On 28th June 2024, Nigeria signed the Samoa Agreement at the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS) Secretariat in Brussels, Belgium.
“Ambassador Obinna Chiedu Onowu represented his country to sign the Samoa Agreement at the OACPS Secretariat in Brussels,”OACPS posted on their X page.
According to Mohammed Idris, Minister of Information and National Orientation,stated that the Samoa Agreement is nothing but a vital legal framework for cooperation between the OACPS and the European Union.
He further emphasize that the agreement was signed after the extensive reviews and consultations by the Interministerial Committee, convened by the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning (FMBEP) in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and Federal Ministry of Justice (FMOJ). He noted that the pact was looked into to ensure that none of the 103 Articles and Provisions of the Agreement contravenes the 1999 Constitution as amended or laws of Nigeria, and other extant Laws.
With this, ROUNDCHECK can confirm that Nigeria has joined the list of countries to be a part of the signatories to the agreement that will span for twenty years to promote sustainable development in the region.
