ECOWAS Citizens' Union formed to hold HOG accountable

Implementation of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)'s regional integration, free movement of goods and services, conflict prevention and resolution initiatives have been given a civil society impetus.

The ECOWAS Citizens' Union, a pressure group, made up of West African citizens, had been formed to solicit the influence and power of the civil society to hold Heads of Government and Institutions in the West African sub-region accountable to the tenets and spirit of the charter of the Economic Union.

Mr Sountouwung Drame, Secretary General of the Union, said these at press briefing in Accra on Wednesday to proclaim the Ghana Chapter of the group. The Secretary General said the group was aimed at promoting integration and cooperation among the citizens and to ensure the free movement of persons and goods in the sub-region.

He said the group would also establish structures to monitor policy directions of governments in the sub-region and to ensure their adherence to basic principles of good governance. Mr Drame said Union would educate and sensitise the civil society through the mass media thereby seeking its power to enable the group to ensure that governments in West Africa adopted and implemented good policies and enacted laws favourable to the people.

He said the Union expressed concern about malpractices at the various boarder posts within the region, which undermined the objectives of ECOWAS. Other members of the group at the press briefing included Chief Issaka Rayame Vice President, Mr Mamadon Samba Diallo, deputy Secretary for Information, Mr Iddrisu Mohammed Saani, Organising Secretary, Camadeu Dieuf Seueraie, Mr Vinyinkor Kofi Amenyille, secretary in charge of youth and sports and Mr Amoussouvi K. Lybert, Secretary in Charge of Culture.