HIS EXCELLENCY JOHH DRAMANI MAHAMA
PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA
& CHAIRMAN OF THE AUTHORITY OF HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT OF ECOWAS
WELCOME ADDRESS
45™ ORDINARY SESSION OF ECOWAS
Movenpick Hotel, Accra
Thursday, 10th July, 2014
Excellencies Heads of States and Government.
Excellency, the Vice President of the Republic of Ghana. Mr. Kwesi Amissah-Arthur
Excellencies Heads of other Delegations,
Excellency Kadré Désiré Ouédraogo, President of the ECOWAS Commission,
Commissioners of the ECOWAS Commission,
Heads and Members of ECOWAS Institutions,
Distinguished Invited Guests,
Friends from the Media,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
A warm welcome to Ghana and to this 45th Ordinary Session
Less than two months ago, precisely on 30th May 2014, we met at this same venue, for an Extraordinary Summit. The main purpose of that gathering was to review the security situation in our sub-region, specifically in Northern Mali and some ports of northern Nigeria. We also considered developments on the political situation in Guinea Bissau.
Since then a newly-elected President has been installed in Guinea Bissau. So, it gives me great pleasure to acknowledge among us this morning His Excellency President Jose Mario Vaz of Guinea Bissau. He is attending his first ever ECOWAS Summit as Head of State.
Your Excellency Jose Mario Vaz, it is my singular honour – on behalf of ECOWAS – to congratulate you on your assumption of the highest office in your country. The task ahead of you is a challenging one. But you can count on the continued support of your colleague Heads of State and Government during your tenure in office.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Over the next two days we shall be discussing the interim Report of the President of the ECOWAS Commission and also consider updates on the security situation in our sub-region. We should also be looking at what we need to do as a sub-region in addressing the outbreak of the Ebola virus in our sister nations of Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. One other key recommendation that’s on our agenda for consideration is the introduction of ECOWAS Biometric ID cards to improve on Free Movement of Goods and Persons, across West Africa.
I have indicated on a number of occasions, and indeed it is still my conviction, that central to the realisation of our Community dream of full integration is the implementation of the Protocols on the Free Movement of Persons, Goods and Services, Rights of Residence and Establishment as well as the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Schemes (ETLS).
Member States have made significant progress in this area. Indeed. ECOWAS citizens no longer require visas to travel within our sub-region. But more work needs to be done.
We are also making some progress on our common plan of a single currency. Over the past few days we have had briefing from the ECOWAS Monetary Task Force on the way forward. We are also making progress on the implementation of the ECOWAS Common External Tariff (CET) which is expected to come into force from 1st January, 2015. I wish therefore to take this opportunity to urge the ECOWAS Commission and Member States to ensure that, all ECOWAS citizens, especially importers, are well informed to become strong advocates and stakeholders in the implementation of the Common External Tariff.
I would like to commend His Excellency President Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso, who was appointed by his peers during the ECOWAS session in Abuja, Nigeria in July 2013, to oversee progress towards the Free Movement of Persons and Goods within the ECOWAS sub-region. Through his efforts and leadership we now have a roadmap to accomplish the mandate.
Without prejudice to this roadmap and the various efforts that are being made, I wish to call on all member states, particularly border officials, to take all the legal and necessary steps to remove all challenges or bottlenecks to trade and commercial activities within our region. The lingering difficulties that many enterprising West African citizens face in doing business across our borders must be addressed.
Some of our business men and women complain that in addition to paying all the relevant duties and levies, they are still confronted with situations and hindrances that often make it prohibitive for them to do business within our sub-region. Some of these obstacles are the multiplicity of legal and illegal checkpoints and barriers, lengthy inspection times and documentation requirements, plus costly delays – regardless of whether documentation is complete or not. Many businesspeople of West Africa have been frustrated by the request for substantial informal payments at borders, in addition to the regulatory registration requirements and high costs of transit fees demanded by our Member States. These are some of the problems that undermine the competiveness of our products while the high cost of production constitutes a disincentive for doing business in the region.
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen,
The proposal to introduce Community Citizens Biometric Identity cards is welcome. Its biometric features should make it easy to carry out any quick verification of identity at anytime and anywhere in the sub-region. As registered ECOWAS Community Citizens, our people should be able to move freely in West Africa and enjoy all the opportunities opening up in our Member States. Let me take the opportunity to thank all who are involved in efforts to bring peace and stability to our sub-region. We welcome the role of Algeria, Mauritania and others to bring peace to Mali. We acknowledge the increased cooperation from Cameroun and Chad to defeat the Boko Haram scourge in North Eastern Nigeria. Great opportunities lie ahead for creating a prosperous life for our people, but we can only reap these dividends if we have peace and security.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
As I conclude, I wish to express our deep concern about the unprecedented outbreak of the Ebola disease in three Member States of our Community. Experts have stated that in less than six months, the disease has claimed the lives of almost five hundred (500) people.
While commending the World Health Organization (WHO), Doctors Without Borders and other relevant international organizations, as well as our own health practitioners, for the efforts they have made to contain the spread of the disease, I wish to call for the contribution of urgently needed resources to speed up the containment efforts. We must do everything within our means and power to defeat this deadly disease. We must exercise vigilance and caution and avoid any panic or misinformation. I also wish to challenge our national and regional medical research institutions to intensify efforts aimed at finding a cure or vaccines for diseases such as Ebola.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Our West African sub-region holds great potential for the more than 300 million people who live in it. Their hopes and aspirations can get a boost from the crucial discussions and decisions that we are about to undertake here today. They look up to us to help them realize their dreams. They want us to provide rapid and sustainable economic development, peace and security and overall improvement in their lives. These are noble and attainable aspirations, if we work together.
Let us recommit ourselves to the task of building an integrated West Africa that is full of opportunities and delivering on the promise of better days and better lives for our people.
Thank you for your attention.
God bless us all.
