Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has called for support from the United Nations and other Development partners in solving problems across the region.

Speaker of the Community Parliament, Rt. Honorable Moustapha Cisse Lo made the call in the company of lawmakers from the Community Parliament in Monrovia, Liberia when he visited the diplomatic corps.

He gave a presentation on the role of ECOWAS Parliament in ensuring that there is peace and stability across the West African sub-region and added that the Community Parliament is strongly involved in all functions that concerned the wellbeing of African Countries.

Starting from supervision of various elections of the fifteen member states in the West African sub-region and also controlling the governance in the various countries.

He stated that the ECOWAS Parliament has done a lot to solve current problems faced in West Africa; “what I am asking for is that our partners support us to enable the Community Parliamentarians carry out their task successfully”.

“We have competent Parliamentarians with great qualities who are capable and ready to work with the aim of making impact across the region and also ready to defend the people of the community. The support from the International Community will help us therefore in ensuring that the various problems we face in the region are solved”, Cisse Lo said.

He further urged the international diplomatic community to bring their support to ECOWAS states, since they need the help of the international community to realize their goals in West Africa and also make the West African sub-region a land of development.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

A member of the Nigerian delegation to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, Sodiq Ibrahim has called on Nations within European Union (EU) to help curb smuggling of small arms into the West African sub-region.

According to Sodiq Ibrahim, West Africa is the poorest region on earth hence the need for assistant to curb the practice.

He made this call in Monrovia, Liberia when Speaker of the West African Community Parliament, Rt. Honorable Mustapha Cisse Lo led a delegation of lawmakers from the Community Parliament to interact with the diplomatic mission in that country after their seminar.

“We cannot go to our farms, neither can we go about carrying out trade and other occupations on our roads simply because of attacks from weapons that African countries did not manufacture”, he lamented.

Mr. Sodiq Ibrahim called for sanctions to be given out to companies in Europe that export “these arms to non-state actors in Africa”.

“The smuggling of arms is making us poor, making us force to cross the Sahara, and making us also cross the Mediterranean, where we become victims of some of the actions of European Imperialisms”.

He called for an action to address the crisis which has made citizens of the West African sub-region, “victims in their own countries”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Former member of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament and President of the Republic of Liberia, George Manneh Weah, has called for active and unrelenting collaboration among member state of ECOWAS Parliament.

Speaking at the opening of the second extra Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament in Monrovia, Liberia, he pointed out that there is a dire need for Parliamentarians to join efforts in moving the West African sub-region forward and solve problems affecting it.

The Liberian President recounted his days as a lawmaker in the Community Parliament and urged lawmakers to lay legacies that would not be forgotten, through hard work and dedication.

“I recall the warm reception I received when I was inaugurated as a member of the ECOWAS Parliament, not only as a colonist, but as a brother and a friend, the relationship built remain active and alive until this moment”.

He noted that it is heartwarming to recall the numerous meetings held in different member states, and the various sessions attended together and representing his country as well as tackling the challenges faced as a community.

“It is based upon this confidence and in accordance with the supplementary act relating to the enhancement of powers of the ECOWAS Parliament that we have gathered here today to deliberate on the issues that affect our community of people”.

President Weah added that the presence of the Parliament, holding an extra ordinary session out of Abuja is consolidating efforts by the parliament in achieving its vested interest which indeed resembles a community of people and not of states.

He further added, “you are all aware of the tremendous challenges faced by every member state as well as their expectances, hence I urged ECOWAS Institution to tackle these challenges, no matter how much we can do by ourselves at the national level, it is not enough, in the state of true collaboration, we in this region must join an action oriented effort to tackle and solve our problems together” Weah said.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu has said he would inculcate into Ghanaian Youth anti-corruption tendencies and integrity, if he does not leave the Office of the Special Prosecutor soon.

According to the SP, he does not intend to resign from his office despite the criticism he has come under in recent times on his performance, unless the Supreme Court decides so.

He further pointed out that he did not become an anti-corruption crusader all of a sudden, he had been through the mill, his father who had served in the Gold Coast army inculcated in him not to take what is not his.

Mr. Amidu made this remarks at the end of a two day conference of Auditors on the theme: “Protecting National Resources: The role of oversight bodies”.

He emphasized that, “For me to  prevent corruption and lower  the incidents of corruption, my duty would have been done, our preventive department when it comes on stream is going to have as its objective spreading anti-corruption in elementary schools, senior high schools (SSS) and engage tertiary students”.

When asked what can be done to make the office of the SP effective, he responded by saying that as citizens, Ghanaians are enjoined under Article 41 (f) of the 1992 constitution to ensure that the national assert is protected.

Whiles Article 3 talks about defending the constitution; he urged Auditors and Internal Auditors to assist the Police, Office of the Special Prosecutor and the Commission of Human Right and Administrative Justice by speaking up.

He however lamented over how Ghanaian are divided over every issue on political lines including politicization of crime.

“We have to depoliticize crime and see crime as crime not withstanding who is involved or whose ox is gored, the law enforcement should perform their duties, civil societies, Ghanaians should always speak up”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

The Vice President of the Republic of Liberia, Dr. Jewel Howard Taylor has called on the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament to support women in politics.

Speaking at a conference in Monrovia, Liberia organized for ECOWAS Female Parliamentarians (ECOFEPA), and other women politicians and civil society leaders, she pointed out that stories of women being intimidated and victimized for seeking public office is becoming a trend.

According to the Vice President, ECOWAS has a unique role to play in uplifting the politics of women as they hope for a sub-regional framework for protecting women seeking to get involve in business and national politics.

“We hope to see you propose an ECOWAS protocol stating norms for the protection for women in politics. We also want to see you establish effective monitoring systems and interventions to protect genuine cases of women politicians in danger”, Dr. Taylor said.

She continued, by calling on ECOWAS to be swift and robust in their response to threats and violence against women in politics. With the assertiveness of ECOWAS, other state actors will follow suit and do what is necessary to protect women from abuse.

.Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

The National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies of Nigeria (NIPSS) has called on the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to harmonize and enhance the implementation of transhumance regulations between member states.

This is in bid to integrate the traditional stock routes used by different pastoralist clans, customary transhumance corridors and gazing areas.

An expert with NIPSS, Usman Sarki of Nigeria was speaking on Nigerian Legislation on Transhumance and Management of disputes between herdsmen and farmers at a Parliamentary seminar in Monrovia, Liberia.

He further noted that there is the need for ECOWAS to develop a twenty year plan for Transhumance Risk Mitigation and Reduction with a view to creating the enabling environment for peaceful coexistence between herdsmen and farmers.

The plan should take into consideration long-term measures such as demographic stabilization, climate change impact assessment, hydrological survey, establishment of regional grazing reserves and development of grazing corridors between and among ECOWAS member States.

Discussing the background of transhumance in West Africa, Usman said that the region’s traditional migratory linkages and exchanges of people, goods and services predicated that the historic and age old long-distance trade in commodities like cattle, fish and other essentials have of late been disturbed by factors like conflicts.

Receding surface waters in many areas of West Africa occasioned by drought and climate change, as well as reduced grazing areas have also impacted heavily on the lifestyle of pastoral farmers and adversely affected the scope of their economic activities.

A very important characteristic of both sedentary and pastoral farmers in the ECOWAS region and indeed in most of Africa, is that they are both relegated to the subsistence and informal levels, Usman said.

A dispute between farmers and herdsmen is attributed to land ownership and grazing of livestock by herdsmen.

He further said destructions of crops by herdsmen among others have existed for a long time hence the need for harmonization which can be realized though strict adherence to the ECOWAS  protocol decision of 1998 and regulations on Transhumance of 2003.

Usman recommended that ECOWAS should;
•    promote gender specific polices and empowerment programmes at grassroots levels,
•    develop youths employment policies,
•    identify opportunities for farmers and herdsmen to maximize the use of available space,
•    establish mechanism for monitoring of transhumance activities across West Africa,
•    develop early warning and horizon scanning strategies to anticipate and prevent conflicts related to transhumance activities and seek international support for such policies”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com