West African countries were Monday urged to redouble their efforts towards the enhancement of the total well-being of citizens.
Addressing the opening ceremony of the 17th Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Administration and Finance Committee meeting in Accra, Vice-Chair of the ECOWAS Commission Toga Gayewea McIntosh said as the bloc begins the journey towards the next forty years, the community must intensify efforts to the realization of an ECOWAS of people objectives.
ECOWAS is a regional group of 15 countries founded in 1975.
It aspires to create in West Africa a single socioeconomic and political space that will be characterized by free movement of people, free trade, single currency, democracy and good governance.
McIntosh said it had been 40 years of challenging but steady progress, adding that the dreams, hopes and aspirations of the founding fathers were as relevant today as they were 40 odd years ago.
He said the years had so far seen some remarkable achievements, notable among them the commencement of the common external tariff regime, the curbing of the rate of Ebola infection in the region and the commencement of concerted international efforts to defeat the Boko Haram scourge.
“While these are remarkable steps forward, challenges still exist in their full realization, and it is our collective duty to ensure that the forward steps taken are not slowed down or reversed,” he said.
“The successes chalked should not deceive us into complacency. The battles have not yet been won,” said McIntosh.
The Chair of the Administration and Finance Committee of ECOWAS, Sena Siaw-Boateng, applauded the good people of Nigeria and Togo for conducting peaceful and transparent presidential and legislative elections.
She said the two countries had put the sub-region on top of the democratic and good governance pyramid.
“We pray that the remaining member-states (Burkina Faso, Cote d’ Ivoire and Guinea), which are expected to hold similar elections before the end of the year, will also emulate the examples presented by sister countries,” she said.
She reiterated the need for all member-states to diligently comply with the Community Levy Protocol, a 0.5 percent duty charged by member-states on imports from outside the region which serves as the backbone of funding for the organization’s programs and activities.
Siaw-Boateng said the adherence to the protocol would enable the Commission and its other institutions to effectively execute its mandate and further push the community’s agenda to an appreciable level.
The gathering included representatives of member-states, officials of the Commission and other Community institutions. Enditem
Source: Xinhua
