The President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas on Thursday presented the staff of office to Miss Fatoumata Diallo, Senegalese-born winner of the 2008 Miss ECOWAS Beauty Pageant and urged her to contribute to building a culture of peace among the youths of the region as an ECOWAS Peace Ambassador.
Dr. Chambas linked youth empowerment with regional peace and security, saying that the youth could only become the future of the region if they imbibed the culture of peace which would make it easier to create job opportunities for them.
He also applauded Nigeria’s Rivers State government for sponsorship of the pageant and thanked Governor Rotimi Amechi for the strong support which he gave to the 2008 Pageant and promised to continue to work closely with his government in future projects.
Among those present were the Vice President of the ECOWAS Commission, Mr. Jean de Dieu Somda, the Rivers State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism Mr. Marcus Nle Ejii, as well as Mrs. Maxine Menson, leader of 702 productions, organizers of the pageant.
