By Benjamin Akoto
Sunyani, Aug. 19, GNA – Mr Samuel Dodoo, the Executive Director of Media Response, a non-governmental organisation, has stated the need for the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to decentralise its activities to citizens of member states to achieve the new Vision 2050 targets.
He said ECOWAS’ coming down to the community level would help to strengthen and properly structure the way forward for Vision 2050, saying the involvement of citizens in decision-making processes would lead to better results, even though it might take time to implement.
Mr Dodoo made the call in an interview with the media in Sunyani on the sidelines of the Regional Sensitization Workshop on ECOWAS Protocols for state and non-state actors in the Bono Region.
The workshop, organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration in collaboration with Media Response and the Bono Regional Coordinating Council, aimed to educate stakeholders on the new Vision 2050, “ECOWAS of the People: Peace and Prosperity for All.”
Participants were taken through some protocols and topics such as an overview of ECOWAS, the mandate and functions of the Regional Integration Bureau, the Protocol on Free Movement and Transhuman, ECOWAS Brown Card Scheme and the Role of Citizens, Civil Society Organisations, Media, Chiefs, the public and private sectors.
According to Mr Dodoo, most decisions under the previous ECOWAS Vision 2020 seemed to come from the top, but with Vision 2050, which focuses on economic development, peace, and prosperity, citizens of each member state must be able to express their opinions about activities of the Commission to be part of the decision-making process.
In that regard, he announced the establishment of an ECOWAS desk at the regional coordinating councils across the country was in the process, indicating the desk would be responsible for disseminating information and issues to the local communities, ensuring that the ECOWAS target for Vision 2050 was channelled through ordinary citizens.
Mr Dodoo said if citizens did their work well, it would promote the economic growth of ECOWAS member states.
In a related interview, Ms. Precious Mariam Hamidu, the Project Administrative Assistant of Citizens Watch Ghana and a participant suggested that ECOWAS should focus on strengthening capacity-building efforts in member states, supporting economic development and promoting community engagement.
She emphasised ECOWAS could play a crucial role in building peaceful co-existence among member states, saying, ECOWAS must take a comprehensive and multi-faceted approach that addressed the root causes of conflicts, promotes dialogue, foster regional partnerships and engage communities.
GNA