[ 2014-09-17 ]

‘Africa In Focus’:
High-Level Public Forum Held On Regional
Development In W/A


The Head of Research and Communications Unit of
“Africa in Focus”, Emmanuel K. Bensah Jr, has
emphasized on the urgent need to increase the
public knowledge and engagement on ongoing ECOWAS
integration efforts on energy situation in the
region and across the continent and their
implications for Ghana.

E.K Bensah made this emphasis recently in Accra
during a two-day high-level public forum held to
discuss issues of the Economic Community of West
African States (ECOWAS); including the energy
situation in the sub-region, and the role of
Rwanda in promotion of intra-African trade.

The forum which had the theme “Enhancing public
knowledge and engagement on regional development
in West Africa” brought together participants
such as senior policy officials, civil society
leaders, researchers and community leaders, from
various institutions, to also discuss ongoing
debates around ECOWAS’ informal economy sector.

Speaking on the ‘understanding the role of Civil
society organization engagement in ECOWAS, the
Executive Director of the West Africa Civil
Society Institute (WASCI), Nana Asantewaa
Afadzinu, said ECOAWAS was established in 1975 for
the purposes of economic integration, promotion of
economic trade, cooperation and self-reliance.

She reiterated that the establishment was to
enhance pre-colonial ties and weaken adverse
economic and social legacies of colonialism,
create an enlarged market to enhance
competitiveness and development of states, improve
terms of trade for the foreign and increase their
bargaining power, and also to empower weak and
small states in an era of globalization.

However, the sub-region Mrs. Afadzinu noted, had
experience common challenges which includes: weak
governance and institutions, youth unemployment,
poor infrastructure, cross border crime, poor
service delivery and poor social support
structures.

She said civil society organizations (CSOs) which
comprise of non-government organizations (NGOs),
professional bodies and trade union play critical
role in engagement in ECOWAS that hinges on
Democratic Governance; Peace and Security, and
Economic Governance.

The roles include: service delivery, advocacy,
watch-dog, expert, policy formulation,
implementation and monitoring, institution
building and norm setting.

Nana Asantewaa Afadzinu indicated that there has
been a sort of oneness among the nations in the
sub-region which has enhanced learning and sharing
among the countries.

This she said included: cross border engagement,
experience sharing and learning; and the
collaboration of West African countries to oversee
elections in Ghana and Nigeria.

A former ECOWAS official during the 1980s and
1990s, Mr. Frank Ofei, said ECOWAS would be
peaceful and vibrant if CSOs and the private
sector is involved actively into its committees.

According to him, ECOWAS is hinged by four pillars
of its economic status. There are: Oil and Mining
sector, agriculture and agribusiness sector,
under-developed mining sector and the informal
sector.

Mr. Ofei stated that the implementation of ECOWAS
many policies would lead to economic progress,
peace and others, which should bring equity into
the sub-region.

He called on stakeholders to harmonise and
implement various policies in a manner that can be
monitored adding that political engagement at all
levels must be credible.

The former ECOWAS official charged the media and
CSOs to play critical roles in gingering the
various governments to perform better.

There were other presentations from other resource
persons at the 2-day high-level meeting.

The ‘Africa in Focus’ (AIF) is a brand new
two-hour discussion show that is aired every
Tuesday from 1:00 p.m to 3:00 pm on Radio XYZ
93.1.

Source - Emelia Aryee

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