News:
December 12, 2025
The Chairman of the Committee on Political Affairs, Peace, Security, and the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), Senator Edwin Melvin Snowe Jr., has warned that the problems facing the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are grave. He stated that unless bold and firm decisions are taken to resolve them, the community risks dissolution.
“We have to be careful, we have to be firm, we have to look each other in the face and speak truth to power,” he emphasized.
Senator Snowe Jr. expressed similar concerns regarding the Community Parliament. “How can we have an ECOWAS Parliament and say we will not have live coverage? That is my next campaign in this Parliament. How can we have a parliament that stops people from carrying live coverage? Every parliament is moving toward live coverage,” he pointed out.
He also noted the poor attendance at the session. “Again, you see here today the place is virtually empty. If we were live, citizens from the member states would know their representatives are not here. Where are they? It’s called a constituency check. I learned at FBA that your people sent you here to represent them; you have to account to them.”
He further lamented the absence of representatives from member states with large delegations. “My colleagues from Nigeria have 35 slots, and most of them are not seen here. And we say we do not want live coverage? We need live coverage, Mr. Speaker. There was an excellent debate on Guinea-Bissau, but no publicity on it.”
He made these remarks during a seminar on experience sharing, dialogue, and mediation facilitated by the Folke Bernadotte Academy (FBA). He praised the Academy for its understanding of the region’s diversity and commended Emmanuel Habuka Bombande, a former Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister of Ghana with extensive United Nations experience, for his presentation.
“FBA is part of the global peace and security architecture. We should have a lasting relationship or partnership; they will help us. As an alumnus, what I learned in the period of one week in most areas—peacebuilding, political affairs—I can give them credit for most of the things I learned,” Snowe Jr. added.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com