 The idea to create a West African police information system, WAPIS, national levels, have in fact facilitated global terrorism. Without effective information exchange and coordination among the region's law enforcement agencies, no enforcement strategy can defeat these threats. In 2006, ACOAS published a protocol for the establishment of a criminal intelligence and investigation bureau with a view to supporting ACOAS member countries in their fights against transnational organized crime. In 2010, during a symposium in Brussels jointly organized by Interpol indicated, and the Belgian presidency of the European Union, the West African chiefs of police declared that in order to meet the challenges facing the region, countries needed automated police information systems connected at the regional and global levels. Following this common position, the European Union decided to grant funding to Interpol for the development and implementation of a police information system for ACOAS member countries and Mauritania. The WAPIS was born. As we are talking about police information system, it is important to note that the police infrastructure system is more than an electronic database. It includes the processes and procedures through which police data are collected, administered, processed and assessed. In providing countries with a national police information system, the WAPIS program will support them in implementing all these aspects. The benefits. The creation of a common police information system across West Africa will allow for the sharing of criminal information on a timely basis within the region and the rest of the world, which will result in enhanced law enforcement cooperation in fighting transnational organized crime and terrorism. WAPIS will enable police officers in West African countries to access critical police information from their national criminal databases and from databases of countries across the region, thus providing the identification of criminals and supporting ongoing investigations. WAPIS will enhance the analysis of the problems of transnational organized crime and terrorism facing our sub region. Generally, it will allow a better understanding of crimes originating from transiting truth or coming to West Africa. WAPIS will allow greater police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters within the region, the European Union and the rest of the world. Overall, the full implementation of the WAPIS program will support the efforts of national authorities and echo us in improving the security of citizens in West Africa and around the world. As noted already, the program is completely funded by the European Union while Interpol is implementing the program with the support of its regional bureau of West Africa located in Abidjan and the National Central Bureau of the pilot countries. Echo us is a strategic implementation partner of the program. Echo us provides major political support to WAPIS within the appropriate legal framework and its criminal intelligence and investigation bureau. When operational, Echo us will be a key beneficiary of the regional police information sharing platform. The West African Police Chiefs Committee is the region's prime law enforcement body and as such a key implementation partner. Law enforcement agencies such as police, genre, Marie customs and immigration across the region will be the direct beneficiaries of the program. Police authorities from Interpol and other member countries including the 28th European Union Member States and EU agencies such as Europol and Frontex will be direct beneficiaries of the program. The commitment of the European Union Interpol and Echo us to fundamental human rights is at the heart of the WAPIS program. Information to be entered in the WAPIS system should comply with international data protection and human rights standards. Countries engaging in the WAPIS program will be required to comply with regional and international standards and legal prerequisites guaranteeing the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals including internationally recognized principles, Echo us supplementary acts on personal data protection, Interpol rules on the processing of data and then the police data record will be incorporated in the WAPIS system for the enhancement of the database. Illegal framework was discussed and adopted by the pilot countries in order to ensure that the program implementation complies with regional and international human rights standards. A minimum level of data standardization was agreed on among the WAPIS countries in order to allow harmonious data exchange amongst WAPIS countries through the future regional information sharing platform. Data collection data collection registration centers were created in each pilot country and today we are witnessing the opening of the Ghana Center. In Ghana just like other pilot countries training on data entry has been organized for selected personnel from customs, police, immigration, knockup and the prison service. The introduction of the West African police information system is crucial in the fight against transnational organized crime and information sharing is important to our collective quest for law enforcement in the sub region. Your Excellency ladies and gentlemen, let me once again thank the financiers of this noble project, the successful implementation of which can help us confront head on the problems posed by crime. It is therefore on this note that I have the singular honor to launch the WAPIS system and declare the WAPIS data center here at the CID headquarters officially inaugurated. Thank you. Thank you for listening.