Author: Fred GhanaMPs

The Ministry of Economy of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has given the green light that, it is prepared to invest in the energy sector in West Africa.

Executive Director for the Economic Community for West African States (ECOWAS) Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) Mahama Kappiah, revealed this in Accra at the third ECOWAS Sustainable Energy forum in Accra.

In an interview, he pointed out that UAE has taken a step further by inviting the West African sub-region for a forum to identify projects to sponsor and if Heads of states agree to it, in March of next year every member of the fifteen states if possible need to be carried along.

“When we were coming for this forum we made our objectives clear that, we were not coming her to talk, we needed partnership to improve the energy situation which would contribute to the social economic development. Here comes a partner who can invite all the great investment houses, they say present your projects in the energy sector along the value chain.

They have said we should meet, put everything on the table for discussion, how they can fund it, they are serious ready to invest, this is an opportunity for us since we are so much behind, it would help us move forward in the sector”.

As to whether the whole partnership with the UAE would be on renewable energy, he noted that it is the entire chain, exploration, extraction, refining, power generation, distribution and LPG supply.

“To organize a West African energy supply, they are ready for us, we have never received this type of offer, and this is the first time”.

Mr. Mahama Kappiah emphasized the need for improvement in the living situation of the West African sub-region and become more productive, “we need energy to do that, without energy we are not going anywhere”

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

The third forum of ECOWAS Sustainable Energy forum has entered its third day in Accra on the theme, Achieving sustainable energy targets in ECOWAS”, bring delegates across the West African sub-region for this forum.

Delegates were in various committee discussing topics on how to move forward the renewable energy agenda in the sub-region.

Some of the topics being discussed are, standalone solar systems investment in West Africa and Sahel, capitalizing on the region’s renewable energy potentials, the role of IPP and financing methods and African continental free trade agreement opportunities and prospects for the ECOWAS Region electricity sector.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has fix next year April 25, to hold parliamentary primaries in 169 constituencies where it has sitting Members of Parliament for the 2020 parliamentary elections.

In a statement signed by its General Secretary, John Boadu has cautioned prospective aspirants to desist from all forms of campaign activities, “until nominations are duly opened else they risk being disqualified for flouting party directives”.

The party would equally hold primaries same day for its presidential primaries.

The decision was reached at a joint National Executive Committee (NEC) and National Council meeting held on Monday October 21, 2019 in Accra. NEC would at the appropriate time come out with detailed guidelines and modalities for the conduct of the primaries the statement said.

However, primaries would be held on Saturday Octobers 26, 2019 for the remaining orphan constituencies that were excluded from the party’s nationwide primaries on September this year due to some outstanding matters, which have since been resolved,

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

As part of the integration process, President Nana Akufo-Addo has called on leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to demonstrate strong political will to make the community attain economic and political success.

According to the Ghanaian President, to make the process real it is important for the welfare of the three hundred and fifty million citizens of West Africa to be cared for.

He made this remarks at the Annual International Conference of the ECOWAS Court of Justice, on Monday, 21st October, 2019.

The President noted that the principal reason for the creation of ECOWAS was to enhance inter-regional commerce and co-operation.

And further explained that there was a clear recognition that the countries of West Africa would be a more effective economic bloc and have a stronger political voice if they came together.

“Subsequently, provision was also made for solving inter-state conflicts, as well as grave intra-state ones too. Today, however, while the EU is central to the lives of Europeans, ECOWAS is, still, somewhat peripheral to the lives of most West Africans. And it is not for the lack of plans or even rules and regulations. It is simply that the political will to make integration real has been less evident than in Europe,” he said.

Describing the problem as a lack of leadership, President Akufo-Addo stated that West Africa cannot make the bold transforming changes it needs to make without visionary political leadership.

“We need leadership that is focused on the region, and not on individual countries. The European Union took off because the political leadership of France and Germany decided to make it work. Once the political will is evident, we can then work together to make ECOWAS a true regional community,” the President noted.

“Since the Court has exclusive responsibility for the interpretation and application of the ECOWAS Revised Treaty, Courts of Member States must be encouraged to refer questions of interpretation of the ECOWAS Revised Treaty and other community texts, in cases before them involving questions of the Treaty and community texts, to the ECOWAS Court of Justice, in order to ensure uniformity in the interpretation of the Treaty and the texts”, he added.

The President stressed that importance of Member States complying with judgments of the Court, explaining that “the ECOWAS Revised Treaty provides that judgments of the Court are binding on all Member States, institutions, corporate bodies and individuals.”

He continued, “What makes ECOWAS better will make each of our individual countries better and more prosperous. It is time for those who believe in regional integration to give enthusiastic support to Community decisions and inspire confidence and integrity in the structural organs of ECOWAS, such as the ECOWAS Court of Justice. Our people deserve no less, and the dream of prosperity will be within our grasp”.

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The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commissioner for Macro-economic Policy and Economic Research, Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku has said, the sub-regional body remains the most dynamic regional economic community bloc in Africa, “Despite the numerous challenges confronting the regional integration programme ECOWAS is pursuing”.

According to Dr. Apraku, in other to make the regional integration process more relevant to the needs and aspiration of citizens within the community, the Commission has adopted vision 2020 in June 2007.

He added that, basic objective of transforming from ECOWAS of states to ECOWAS of people, where citizens would be actively involved in the regional integration process with its people becoming the ultimate beneficiaries.

Dr. Konadu Apraku commended the collaboration between the ECOWAS Commission and Court of Justice, in an open remark on a four day conference organized by the court of Justice in Accra.

Speaking on behalf of the Commission, President Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, further noted that the regional integration present the most cost effective and broad base  economic development way, to overcome the limitations of smaller internal markets and also increase, “our bargaining power to reduce negotiation, cost and ultimately reduce high rate”.

The region has recorded a lot of achievements in the areas of peace, security, economic integration, and development as significant progress has been made to sustain peace and security, through preventive diplomacy, he indicated.

“ECOWAS region has become relatively stable with occasional conflicts arising from terrorism, in the area of democracy and a good governance initiative by ECOWAS has yielded tangible results and consolidation of democratic institutions”.

Again, there has been monitoring of conduct of elections in various countries in member states in the region with considerable progress made.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com