President Marcel Alain de Souza of the Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS) told President Reuven Rivlin, Monday, that the 15-nation body plans to establish more contacts with Israel. De Souza said the community's 320 million residents need development, specifically its youth, who need training and support.
Rivlin said, "We have excellent cooperation, and we welcome the opportunity for Israel to contribute from its knowledge and abilities in the fields of health, water and agriculture; a sign of the friendship between us." He added, "Africa is key to the future of the world. Your organization facilitates the cooperation between the individual African countries, and also between Africa and the whole world which looks to see what is happening there."