505 49 (64th Ecowas Council of Ministers Session opens)
The 64th Ordinary Session of the Ecowas Council of Ministers opened Monday at the conference hall of the sub-regional body headquarters in the Nigerian capital, Abuja.
The two-day meeting brings together Ecowas Council of Ministers, Ecowas ambassadors and permanent representatives in Abuja, head of Ecowas community institutions, commissioners and other statutory appointees. The Gambia is represented at the session by Hon. Abdou Kolley, the minister of Trade and Regional Integration, and Angela Colley, The Gambia's high commissioner to Nigeria.
The session will afford delegates the opportunity to deliberate extensively on issues affecting the sub-region in order to facilitate rapid socio-economic transformation for the benefit of the community's citizens.
Welcoming delegates at the opening ceremony, Dr Aliyu Idi Hong, minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on behalf of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan of Nigeria, confirmed the successes registered by the sub-regional body in the area of peace and stability as well as economic development in virtually all spheres as can be attested in the mediatory efforts in Guinea Bissau and Guinea Conakry.
According to him, in the case of Guinea, as a result of a persistent dialogue and intense negotiations with all stakeholders and particularly the avowed commitment of the interim leader, Brigadier General Sekouba Conateh to return the country to democratic rule, the presidential election has now been scheduled for 27 June 2010. "It is therefore our hope that the forthcoming presidential election will be free, fair, credible and transparent. With respect to Cote D'IVoire and Niger, the chairman of the authority in conjunction with Ecowas has already engaged all the relevant stakeholders to stress the imperative need for them to come up with a workable and acceptable election timetable as soon as possible so that constitutional order is restored in Niger and the ever lingering election in Cote D Ivoire is held before the end of this year," he said.
He then stated that Niger and Guinea remain suspended from Ecowas in-line with relevant provisions of the Ecowas protocol on democracy and good governance. He went on to cite the difficulties faced in the sub-region among which are food, energy and financial crises, adding that it is only through collective efforts and collaboration that the problem can be solved. "It is in this connection that the establishment of the Customs Union in the sub-region remains one of our top priorities. The regional and agricultural investment programmes have been finalised and this culminated in the International Conference hosted in Nigeria in November 2009 within the Ecowas Agricultural Policy (ECOWAP) and the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP)," he said.
On the sub-regional integration process, Minister of State Hong said despite all efforts put in place to fast-track the process; the Ecowas protocol on free movement of persons, goods and services as well as the right of residence and establishment has not been fully implemented as citizens continue to face harassment, torture, intimidation and extortion in the various borders. He then urged all delegates to contribute meaningfully to the deliberations of the council meeting to ensure a sound decision at the end that will be useful to the Heads of State during the forthcoming 38th Session of Authority of Ecowas Heads of States and Governments scheduled for end of June 2010.
Declaring the session open, His Excellency Ambassador James Victor Gbeho, the president of the Ecowas Commission said the Session of Council of Ministers came at a significant time in the life of both the community and the commission. He cited the global economic and financial crises that engulfed the whole world which requires the council to make confident decisions on future activities without sacrificing the necessary caution that help the sub-region withstand the effects of the recession.
He added that the ministerial council meeting is also important because it is expected to make those important decisions that will preserve and underpin the valuable gains made recently in the region's peace and security architecture. "Critical democratic elections are for example, scheduled to be held in Guinea, which has witnessed very trying times in the last three years and requires continued Ecowas participation and counseling to shore up the process. In Niger also, the interim government has made tremendous progress towards a return to constitutional rule and in Ivory Coast which is recovering from civil war, there is need to make greater progress and the council's wisdom, will be sorely tested. The region as a whole is therefore looking to Ecowas especially the Council of Ministers to make decisions that will be to the benefit of the entire community," he said.
The Ecowas Commission president further informed the ministers that the Authority has also directed the commission to submit to it, a proposal for the rotation of its chairmanship as well as of the position of president, vice president and commissioners of the community together with draft rules of procedures for certain organs of the community. He happily revealed that these tasks have been completed and will be considered during the ongoing session. "In addition, the council will also be called upon to consider and submit for Authority's approval, proposals for the allocation of four positions of judges of the Community Court of Justice and the position of speaker of the Ecowas Parliament. The Council will also consider among others, the reports of the financial controller and the audit committee, two key benchmark reports for the good governance of community institutions and their administrative and financial management," he said.
Ambassador Gbeho then implored the ministers to engage themselves to provide the Authority with concrete and well thought positions and options that can ensure that the gains that have been made since the transformation of the executive secretariat into a commission, inspite of the various global financial and economic crises are not lost.
