ECOWAS Member States have been urged to implement ECOWAS Protocols in a bid to sustain peace, democracy and good governance in the region.
A Former Director, Political Affairs ECOWAS, Mr. Aderemi Ajibewa, made the recommendation while delivering a paper at the delocalized meeting of the Joint Committees of the ECOWAS Parliament on Political Affairs, Peace, Security in Monrovia, Liberia.
Mr. Ajibewa in his presentation with the theme “Assessment of the Impact of the Relevant Provisions of the ECOWAS Protocol of Democracy and Good on Improving Governance and Crises Prevention in Member States” said that Community protocols and instruments already captures the mechanisms on constitutional political governance principles that address governance challenges
He noted that the implementation of relevant protocol by member countries would mitigate the level of conflict and bad leadership.
Mr. Ajibewa enumerated some of the challenges arising from gaps in implementing some ECOWAS protocols to include over centralization of power, weak institutions and structures, bad leadership, military interventions and interruptions of democratic governance.
“The supplementary Protocol (2021) provides for democratic control of the armed forces and zero tolerance for military coup d’etats and any form of unconstitutional change of power.
“The efficient operationalization of the provisions of ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance would provide long-lasting solutions to the challenges faced by the West African Region,” according to Ajibewa.
To address some of the challenges, Ajibewa urged the ECOWAS Commission to increase engagement and partnership with civil society organizations.
He also tasked the ECOWAS Commission on sensitization of the military on the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocols of Democracy and Good Governance, and capacity building for government officials.
Ajibewa said that Member States should also be charged with decentralizing powers, noting that it poses serious threat to having a centralized power in a state.
He also urged member states on the revitalization of state structures and institutions, and advocacy for good governance.
In her intervention, a Member of Parliament from the Republic of Ghana, Hon, Ladi Ayamba, lamented the limitations to the implementation of policies at the country level.
“We have these laws and protocols guiding us but it is sad that implementation is a problem.
“What we lack in our Parliaments is how to implement some of these protocols and that is a gap we must ensure we address. How will ECOWAS look at addressing these gaps,” Ayamba asked.
Hon. Fatimatou Njai, a parliamentarian from the Gambia, also said that it is time for ECOWAS to learn lessons from mistakes that have brought down some countries in order to move forward.
Njai said that ECOWAS bodies and institutions need to be firm on laws that retrogrades the region.
