Africa
By Anthony Isibor.
THE two-day Strategic Retreat, Planning Workshop of the ECOWAS Council Of the Wise, COW, opened in Lagos on Monday February 21, to holistically assess the political and security situation in the region, especially in the light of recent developments in some Member States and develop Plans of Action.
The meeting will also seek to brainstorm on strategies for the COW to swiftly respond to and mitigate the growing peace and security challenges in the region, undertake a comprehensive briefing on the ECOWAS Early Warning Mechanisms as requested by Council members at the orientation workshop, develop the modalities for the operationalization of the Council, and for members and the ECOWAS Commission to jointly develop and validate a one-year Plan of Action.
The retreat, which is the council’s first meeting since May 2021 when it was inaugurated as members of the reconstituted COW during a two-day orientation workshop in Accra, Ghana, was organized to afford them the opportunity to collectively review their mandate and develop a functional work-plan.
Realnews reports that the Council is one of the key organs of the ECOWAS Peace and Security architecture, tasked with providing advisory roles that will lead in peace efforts, preventive diplomacy and initiatives that will promote democracy and good governance in the sub-region.
Speaking at the retreat, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, former President of Nigeria and Chairman of COW, thanked the Authority of Heads of State and Government and the President of ECOWAS Commission for their relentless efforts toward resolving the socio-political crises in some countries in the sub-region, and urged members to remain commited to the goals of the council.
Jonathan, who is confident in the councils capacity to achieve its mandate, urged members to remain resolute in delivering their objectives bearing in mind that by reconstituting the COW and inaugurating them as members, the ECOWAS Commission and the Authority have placed their trust and hope on the council, believing that it has what it takes to facilitate the process of restoring peace and constitutional order across the sub-region.
“I am confident that we have the capacity to achieve our mandate. The task ahead of us may seem daunting, given the current challenges in our sub-region but it is not insurmountable. I implore all of us to give the assignment our best shot.
“We would be seen to have done justice to this assignment if we succeed in catalysing processes towards institutionalising systems that would deepen democracy, people-oriented governance and sustainable growth in our sub-region.
“We are all aware that the sub-region has faced unsavoury developments that have continued to pose a challenge to the peace, security and sustainable development in West Africa.
“Within the last two years we have witnessed three military coups in Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso as well as coup attempts in Niger and Guinea-Bissau.
“This development poses serious threat to democracy in ECOWAS, especially at a time that the unabating onslaught of militants and terrorists across the Sahel and frontline countries has worsened the security situation in the sub-region.
“ECOWAS had served as a reference point in the league of Regional Economic Communities, REC, because West Africa, for a long time, held the ace in its adherence to democratic principles and the peace that ruled in member nations.
“What the prevailing tense socio-political situation in our sub-region tells us is that our task as members of COW is challenging; requiring that we play a more active role in mediation and consultations to prevent or resolve conflicts.
“We should endeavour to leverage the support from the ECOWAS Commission and the Authority and be able to devise creative ways of mediating or undertaking peace missions.
“The Council should also be in a position to catalyze engagement processes that would deepen the roots of democracy in the sub-region by promoting credible and peaceful elections.
“We will spend the next two days on this task of hammering out effective strategy and agenda for promoting peace, security and stability in our sub-region,” Jonathan said.
– FEB. 21, 2022 @ 16:06 GMT |
A.I
Tags: Council Of the Wise ECOWAS Goodluck Ebele Jonathan
