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The President of the ECOWAS Commission, Mr. Jean-Claude Brou and the Ambassador of China to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mr. Zhou Pingjian signed for both parties in a bilateral meeting held at the ECOWAS Commission headquarters, Abuja, a statement from ECOWAS published on its website said.
The move comes following warning from sack US secretary of state's warning for African countries to be wry of Chinese motives in Africa.
China in 2012 funded the construction of $200million headquarters for the African Union amidst fanfare.
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Analysts have described these gifts from China as a symbol of Beijing’s thrust for influence in Africa, and access to the continent’s natural resources.
Early this year, French newspaper Le Monde reported, quoting anonymous African Union (AU) sources, that data from computers in the Chinese-built building had been transferred nightly to Chinese servers for five years.
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According to Le Monde, after the hack was discovered a year ago, the building’s IT system including servers as changed.
The newspaper also noted that during a sweep for bugs after the discovery, microphones were also found hidden in desks and the walls.