The President of ECOWAS Commission, Dr Jean Claude Kassi Brou, has emphasized the need to promote local production of Covid-19 vaccine in the region.
Brou made the call while presenting the 2021 Report of the Community at the ongoing 2021 Second Ordinary Session of the 5th Legislature, the ECOWAS Parliament in Abuja.
The report estimated that ECOWAS countries would need 263 million extra doses of vaccine to cover 40% of the population.
He therefore advocated local productions of vaccine to ensure that majority of the citizens are vaccinated.
On insecurity in the region, Brou, said that there were 261 of terrorists and bandits attacks in 2018 with 1,298 fatalities.
“In 2019, there were 311 incidents and 2,159 fatalities, while 2020 recorded 833 incident and 2,137 fatalities,” he disclosed.
Brou further disclosed that there was sharp drop in Maritime Piracy within the time under review, adding that the report which covered January 2018 to mid November 2021, had a total of 1,700 incidents and 4,589 fatalities.
He also revealed that the insecurity in the region threw up a disturbing figure of 443,387 refugees, while no fewer than 5,135,131 persons were internally displaced.
Surveillance and border security
The Speaker of ECOWAS Parliament, Dr. Sidie Mohamed Tunis, called for greater surveillance and increased collaboration in border security amongst member states.
He said the prevalence of banditry, insurgency and kidnapping in Nigeria and other parts of the region appear to be high and rising in recent months.
“Crime against persons, including murder, rape, and robbery has grown in scale.
“We condemn in the strongest terms all acts of banditry, insurgency and kidnapping and commend the Nigerian Government for remaining steadfast in its commitment to fight the evil ones. I also call for greater surveillance across our borders and admonish each Member State to be its brother’s keeper”.
Unemployment and Insecurity
Making contributions on the report on the State of the Community presented by President of the ECOWAS Commission, members of the Community Parliament called on authorities in the region to utilize technology to tame the scourge of unemployment and escalating insecurity.
They advocated digital training for the youthful population to enable them play key roles in the fourth industrial revolution, so as to mitigate the looming and imminent dangers of unemployment.
The Community Parliament noted that the unemployment rate which is currently pegged at 51% in West Africa is very dangerous.
It further observed that frustrated army of unemployed may easily take to crime and criminalities if urgent steps are not taken by leaders in the region to reduce unemployment to the barest minimum.
Nneka Ukachukwu
