News:
December 9, 2021
A former Member of the Ghanaian delegation to the Community Parliament, Clement Kofi Humado has said the proposed January 1, 2022 reopening of all land boarders within the sub-region is achievable.
ECOWAS sectorial ministers, in collaboration with the West African Health Organisation (WAHO), took the decision at a virtual meeting coordinated from Abuja, Nigeria this week.
Among the factors informing the decision, the ministers took into consideration the fact that their economies lost $50 billion in value or 6.7 per cent of their cumulative Gross Domestic Product (GDP) between 2020 and 2021.
Also the report and recommendations of the meeting will be presented to the ECOWAS Council of Ministers meeting, scheduled for Abuja, Nigeria, tomorrow and Friday and subsequently submitted to the Heads of State and Government, the highest decision-making body, for adoption.
A communiqué issued by ECOWAS after the meeting said more than 50 people took part in the meeting, including ECOWAS sectorial ministers in charge of the Interior, Health, Finance, Trade and Transport, alongside their experts.
In an interview, Clement Humado pointed out that the o original date for the opening of the land boarders was July, 31, 2021 which has passed and this is also another attempt to implement the decision that was taken earlier.
“Now almost every country has realised that their economies are going down people are not able to do business along the corridors from Lagos to Cote d’lvoire and has resulted in loss of income and livelihood for a lot of people”
Again, he pointed out that farmers are not able to send their produce across the brooders and thinks now there is compelling evidence that the boarders must be re- open.
Now that they have brought in West African Health Organisation (WAHO), “if they provide the adequate funds of them they can coordinate the COVID-19 protocols implementation across the boarders and as I said some time ago WAHO needs money funding to be able to do this job and I hope the funds would be release by the Commission”.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com