Lack of commitment is disintegrating ECOWAS gradually - Alipui

Accra, Nov. 24, GNA - Mr Frederick Alipui, Founding Member of Regional Integration Network of Non-State Actors (RINSA), a Pan-African integration platform, has bemoaned the low level of commitment by governments in West Africa, towards the ideals of the ECOWAS.

He said this had led to the Sub-Region's inability to implement the values underpinning the establishment of ECOWAS, thereby leading to the formation of other sub-groupings and organisations among Member States. Mr Alipui expressed the concern at a press briefing on the reasons for the formation of RINSA in Accra on Wednesday. He said RINSA was formed to educate Ghanaians on issues that hampered implementation of the ideals on which ECOWAS was formed and urged all stakeholders to contribute their quota.

Membership of RINSA include; Ghana National Chamber of Commerce, Integrated Social Development Centre, Media Response, a non-governmental organisation, which educates the media on how to report on issues pertaining to ECOWAS and Foundation for Sustainable Development in Africa (Ghana). Mr Alipui called for support towards the ideals of ECOWAS because it was a tool for poverty reduction in the Sub-region. "Regional integration remains an important route to poverty reduction and efforts must be made to ensure that citizens unite to create opportunities within the Sub-region and present a formidable front to the rest of the world," he said.

Mr Alipui appealed for a review of the treatment meted out to traders across borders and other impediments that hampered free movement of persons, goods and services.

"Officials at the borders; extort monies from traders making it easier to travel to Europe than travelling along the Sub-region." Mr Alipui noted that a disunited ECOWAS was open to abuses from both economical and political fronts, especially with the current trend of globalisation where any act on one continent affected everyone on the globe. He urged Member States to invest in the ECOWAS Investment Act, which discriminated against foreign investors working in their countries. Mr Alipui extolled the vision of the Founding Fathers of ECOWAS about 35 years ago, which was one of the collective integration of the 16 Member States.

"ECOWAS was to turn Member States into an economic bloc with a single market organised around a single economic and monetary union," he said. Mr Alipui said the concern was borne out of the realisation that domestic markets of Member States taken individually could not compete favourably on the world market. Mr Ata Koram, Chairman of RINSA, expressed appreciation to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration for its assistance to RINSA. He pledged RINSA's commitment to foster unity among ECOWAS Member States and urged the media to support the initiative.