ECOWAS Speaker calls for acceleration of integration

Accra, Dec. 18, GNA - Prof. Ali Nouhoum Diallo, Speaker of the Economic Community Of West Africa States (ECOWAS) Parliament, on Thursday said the organisation was determined to achieve integration through the adoption of a common anthem, flag and common currency.

He said the organisation should follow in the steps of other regional bodies such as the European Union (EU), which makes a point of flying both their national and EU flags as a symbol of unity. Prof. Diallo was addressing the Parliamentary Press Corps after a courtesy call on Mr. Peter Ala Adjetey, Ghana's Speaker of Parliament. He mentioned security, non-implementation of protocols on the Right of Residence and Free Markets and Movement of People as some of the challenges being tackled by the ECOWAS Parliament.

He said the Parliament was still in transition and it was consulting on how to deal with issues bordering on its competency and budget, among others, which were affecting the institution.

He said there were ongoing discussions for the introduction of a common official language for the sub-region and the inclusion of subjects such as history and geography in the curriculum of schools in the region to facilitate the process of integration.

He expressed concern over the slow introduction of the ECOWAS passports by member states, which he said was an important element in the integration process.

Prof. Diallo said free and fair elections were the answers to a peaceful sub-region since when citizens of member states were comfortable with an election there would not be the need to take up arms.

The ECOWAS Speaker said as a matter of policy, various committees of the Parliament were made to hold their meetings in various countries to ensure that all member states had a feel of the on-goings of the Sub-regional Parliament.

Prof. Diallo had expressed satisfaction at Ghana's representatives to the ECOWAS Parliament, at his meeting with Mr Ala Adjetey, saying they always took active part in all deliberations thereby enriching the debate in the House.

He expressed the hope that President Kufuor would have the opportunity to chair ECOWAS again to carry on with his good work. He commended Ghana for paying up its dues and said the country had also played a significant role in the sub-region. Mr. Ala Adjetey proposed that the ECOWAS Parliament found a way of publishing its activities to enable the people in the sub-region to be abreast with its functions.

He said now that the Pan-African Parliament was in the process of being established, it was necessary that the ECOWAS Parliament was familiar to the people in the region.

He aid the Sub-regional body should also be strengthened to play a more significant role as a building block for the establishment of a continental parliament.

Mr. Ala Adjetey said Ghana was in the process of finalising its list of representatives to the Pan-African Parliament. He later presented copies of the "Legislation in Ghana", a newsletter on Ghana's legislature to Prof. Diallo. Present at the meeting were three out of the eight representatives of from Ghana's legislature to the ECOWAS Parliament. They were Mr. Ken Dzirasah, the Second Deputy Speaker, Ms Hawa Yakubu, NPP-Bawku Central and Osei-Kyei Mensah Bonsu, NPP-Old Tafo Suame