NETANYAHU’S VISIT TO AFRICA YIELDS GROWING MOMENTUM:
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Israel can expect an ongoing series of visits by African dignitaries following the successful African tour by PM Netanyahu early in July 2016. Marcel Alain de Souza, who in April this year took up his role as president of the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States, (ECOWAS) told Israel's President Reuven Rivlin that he will be returning next month when he accompanies Togo President Faure Gnassingbe who is due to visit Israel on 10 August 2016. ECOWAS is an economic conglomerate of 15 West African countries with a total population in the vicinity of 300 million who collectively represent enormous potential. De Souza, who has been to Israel on three previous occasions, said that ECOWAS needed innovation in the battle against poverty, and was looking to Israel for cooperation in this struggle. He emphasized that militarily, more help was needed in fighting terrorism, and on the civilian side, it was essential to have much better training in agriculture for African farmers and in medicine. Other areas in which Africa is seeking Israel’s cooperation include energy and drinking water. "We don’t see Israel as a small country. We see Israel as a giant,” De Souza said. Rivlin replied, "Everyone knows that Africa is part of the future of the world,” adding that ECOWAS represents not only economic interaction between African states, but also represents Africa’s cooperation with the world.
"It is in Israel’s interests to cooperate with Africa, especially when it comes to fighting Islamic fundamentalism said Rivlin. "ISIS is a dangerous phenomenon, he continued, noting that when it fails in Iraq and Syria, it takes out its ire on the rest of the world, striking indiscriminately in Florida, Germany, Belgium, Nice, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and California. Therefore, all countries engaged in the struggle against terrorism must pool their intelligence and operational know-how in fighting terrorism and guaranteeing preservation of the values of the free world. He added that Israel had been happy to help Africa in combating its health, agriculture and water problems, especially during the Ebola epidemic. (Koenig)