President John Dramani Mahama’s tenure as Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has been extended to May 2015.
The decision was taken at a closed door meeting held by the Heads of State at the 46th Ordinary Session of the sub regional body in Abuja, Nigeria.
President Mahama was elected as Chairman this year of the West African Body during the 44th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government in Yamoussoukro, La Cote D’ Ivoire, to occupy the position for a year.
President Mahama has charged member states to give true meaning to their integration by ensuring free movement of people and goods across borders
According to him, that will improve the gains made by ECOWAS, the oldest economic sub regional group.
“Let us reiterate our resolve to make ECOWAS a truly integrated sub region where people, goods and services are able to move freely across borders without hindrance,” he stated.
President Mahama also expressed hope for peaceful, transparent and credible elections in five Member States in the coming year.
“The people of Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Togo, Guinea and Burkina Faso will be going to the polls at various points during next year. We hope and pray for well-organised polls that are free, fair, transparent and credible. Let there be peace in our nations,” the President stated.
The Summit, which was attended by nine Heads of State and Government and top representatives of the other six Governments, also considered the 2014 Annual Report prepared by the ECOWAS Commission.
President Mahama renewed the commitment and support of ECOWAS to the people of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, in the fight against the ebola virus disease. “Ebola is still a very serious challenge, and we cannot entertain complacency or relent in our efforts, until the last infected person is cured and the disease is wiped out of the affected nations,” he stated during the Summit.
The Presidents of Ghana, Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Togo, Burkina Faso, Benin, Niger and Mali and the other representatives also discussed the peace and security situation in the West African sub-region, especially the menace being caused by the Boko Haram terrorist group in some parts of Nigeria.
The Summit deferred, to May 2015, a discussion of the agenda item on the election of a Chair for ECOWAS for the coming year.
President Mahama left Abuja on Monday evening for Kumasi, where he was scheduled to commission the completed first phase of the Kumasi Airport expansion and upgrade project, involving the installation of an Aeronautical Ground Lighting (or AGL) system that will allow planes to take off and land at the airport in the night time.
Credit: citifmonline