By Kemo Cham
Member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) must ensure cohesion and convergence of policies for the region to quickly recover from the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Speaker of the bloc’s parliament has said.
Sierra Leonean lawmaker Sidi Mohamed Tunis said there is optimism that given the resilient nature of the people of the sub region it will bounce back and make a full recovery. But for this to happen, he warned, governments should be mindful of the need to commit to protecting livelihoods and investments in key sectors of the economies and identify creative ways of injecting liquidity as a lifeblood to stimulate the economies.
Mr Tunis made these comments in a statement marking ECOWAS Day on May 28 - the 45th anniversary of the founding of the bloc.
“I cannot over-emphasize the need for the redesigning of our budget and programs to reflect changes envisaged by the effects of the pandemic on the economies of Member States,” he said in the statement issued by the ECOWAS Commission on Thursday.
"I am cognizant of the fact that Member States will recover at different rates. For some it will come faster and others slower. Nevertheless, cohesion and convergence of policies should be of utmost importance than ever before in post COVID-19 recovery quest,” he added.
ECOWAS was established as the ‘Treaty of Lagos’ on 28 May, 1975. Its founders envisioned a regional community geared toward fostering interstate economic and political cooperation among West Africans.
The Lagos Treaty was revised in 1993, enlarging the bloc’s mandate with the goals of achieving a Common Market and Custom Union.
ECOWAS today comprises 15-member countries.
The amendment of the bloc’s role over the decades led to the creation of several regional entities, including the ECOWAS Parliament and the ECOWAS Court of Justice.
Established in 1993, the ECOWAS Parliament, also known as the Community Parliament, serves as is a forum for dialogue, consultation and consensus with the aim of promoting the bloc’s goal of integration.
The Parliament, which sits in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, has the mandate of looking at issues concerning human rights and fundamental freedoms of citizens; interconnection of energy networks; interconnection of communication links between Member States; interconnection of telecommunications systems; and increased cooperation in the area of radio, television and other intra and inter-Community media links, among others. It may also be consulted on matters relating to public health policies for the Community; common educational policy through harmonisation of existing systems and specialisation of existing universities.
Mr Tunis was elected in March 2020 to the rotating position of Speaker of the 5th Legislature.
Tunis, a Member of the governing Sierra Leone People’s Party, in his statement lamented the debilitating effect of the coronavirus pandemic on the region which he said had brought life to a virtual standstill. But he assured that his administration will endeavor to play its role towards the region’s recovery response strategies by collaborating with and enacting policies to support sister institutions in the execution of COVID-19 related programs for the benefit of the citizens of the sub-region.
“This crisis will no doubt, redefine new norms for us as a people; in the way we think, live and even the course of our politics. It will be a long road to full recovery but in the spirit of African astute wisdom and resilience of purpose, I make bold to state that we shall emerge stronger and better to the delight of the rest of the world,” he said.
West Africa is one of the poorest parts of the continent, having been marred by conflicts and epidemics throughout the period since the founding of ECOWAS. But the bloc has strived to prove exemplary in its efforts to ensure regional integration.
According to Tunis, the success stories are to the extent that, 45 years on, the member states are better integrated, with citizens migrating more freely and goods and services more readily available across the Member States. He cited the bloc’s “remarkable records” of success in maintaining peace and stability in Member States whilst upholding democratic values across the region. He also noted, among others, the establishment of its Common Agricultural Policy (ECOWAP) which aims to promote agri-business and agricultural practices that are modern and sustainable in Member States, the multi-faceted infrastructure program that fosters improvement of inter-state corridor roads, rails, air links and telecommunications, energy as well as the ongoing program on the single currency dream.
“Despite these remarkable achievements as a region, our people continue to yearn for help particularly under the current global pandemic of COVID-19. We are mindful of the fact that this outbreak is like none in the past,” he stated.
The Coronavirus pandemic which began in China back in December 2019, has claimed over 350, 000 lives globally, among over 5, 500, 000 confirmed cases, according to World Health Organization (WHO) figures as of May 27.
Although the virus came to Africa late, the cases have been growing at an alarming rate, disrupting businesses and livelihoods.
As of May 27, Africa has 122, 763 cases and 3, 645 deaths, with West Africa accounting for 30, 750 of those cases and 657 deaths, according to the Sierra Leone based research firm, Sanusi Research and Consulting.
“These are not mere numbers or statistics of physical things but of human beings, citizens of West Africa whose lives were cut short by this rampaging virus,” says Tunis.
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