ECOWAS remains pillar of democracy in Africa, must be protected: USIP
The United States Institute of Peace says the Economic Community of West African States remains the pillar of democracy in Africa and must be protected and supported by member states.
Chris Kwaja, the country director of the institute, said this in an interview on Wednesday.
Mr Kwaja said ECOWAS was a guardian of democracy and democratic governance in the region and must be protected against threats, especially unconstitutional change of government in West Africa.
“The role of the ECOWAS in the African region is too enormous to overlook or undermine and must be protected and supported by members and other countries where democracy has gained deep roots.
“ECOWAS needs the support of everyone to deliver on its mandate of protecting democracy in the region, protecting the people of West Africa from threats, and most importantly, holding the region together,” said Mr Kwaja.
He added, “The world is undergoing a huge transformation and this transformation is one in which the threats today are multidimensional which requires multidimensional responses.
“ECOWAS must be positioned in a way that it can respond to these threats regardless of where they are coming from.”
Mr Kwaja said there were threats against democracy in West Africa, and ECOWAS needed the support of countries where democracy had gained roots to protect the region from enemies of democracy.
He said Africa should not depend solely on the individual member states or its people but garner the needed support from strong regional institutions with the capacity to mobilise all available resources, both human and financial.
He, however, said there was a need for states within the region to defend and protect ECOWAS because there are great threats targeted at it, which were linked to terrorism, insurgency, and particularly relating to climate change.
Mr Kwaja said because West Africa was one of the regions with the highest rate of vulnerability to climate change, the international community required all forms of support.
He advised ECOWAS to be proactive in responding to threats.
(NAN)
We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
More from Peoples Gazette
Politics
Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku
“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”
World
Attempts to undermine China-Pakistan cooperation will not succeed: Official
“We strongly condemn this terrorist attack, express deep sympathy for the victims, and extend sincere condolences to the bereaved families,’’ China said.
Agriculture
Germany lauds foundation on Nigeria’s agribusiness projects
Oladipupo Akoni, CEO and country representative of AFOS Nigeria said this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.
World
Ukrainian ambassador rejects Russian blame for Moscow attack
Islamic State has already claimed responsibility for the attack in Moscow on several occasions.
World
Violence on Lebanese-Israeli front results in several deaths
Several people were killed in shelling across the Lebanese-Israeli border, security sources and the Israeli army said.
World
Boy killed father, mother, brother with knife, prosecutor tells court
The parents, who were 58 and 61 years old respectively, died at the scene, a block of flats.
Agriculture
Food Security: FAO, Nigeria synergise on flood mitigation
According to FAO, at least 52 million people in the region are food insecure.
