ECOWAS National Office (ENO) To Conduct Post-2020 Vision National Consultative Workshop Ganta And Bo Waterside

Following its establishment in 1975, and subsequently confronted with competing economic, political and security management issues severally, the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ÆOWAS) had to adopt new strategies including implementable measures that would identify life changing aspirations for its over 349 million population.

Mindful of that ECOWAS in 2010 adopted a long-term vision for 2020: “To create a borderless, peaceful, prosperous and coherent region, built on good governance, where people can access and exploit its enormous resources through the creation of opportunities for sustainable development and environmental preservation”.

This vision is based on five (5) main pillars, namely: (i) exploitation of regional resources through the development of human capital and its empowerment which provides a peaceful and healthy environment in which women, children and the youths can prosper, have equal opportunities to excel and equitable access to resources for human and social development; (ii) peace and security with a strong objective of ridding the region of its multiple recurrent conflicts and transforming it into a region where leaders and populations give priority to collective regional peace and security; (iii) governance with the objective of attaining, by 2020, the status of a region integrated into the continental and global economic space and governed by the principles of good political and economic governance, transparency and accountability in the use of public resources;(iv) economic and monetary integration characterized by a unified regional single market with a common currency supported by an integrated and efficient financial market and a payment system; (y) the private sector developing in an enabling environment and becoming the primary driving force for growth and development in the region.

All of the above were anticipated focusing primarily on the welfare and development aspirations of the people of West Africa. So, nine years later in 2019, the regional body still faced with difficult situations and issues relating to the underlying economic and sociopolitical conditions characteristics of the sub-region and those having to do with the integration process, viz, establishing a free trade area, customs union, a common market and lastly, harmonizing the fiscal and monetary policies, had to take steps towards changing things around for the greater good by bringing together all the actors and partners to be consulted on the development of the post 2020 Vision and its strategic framework.

Now on the eve of the VISION 2020 deadline, and in response to the many persistent challenges, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), has established a road map to come up with a post -2020 Vision for West Africa.

This would be achieved in all Member States by organizing and holding two national consultative workshops for the development of the ECOWAS Post 2020 Vision and its associated strategic framework. These national consultations scheduled to hold prior to 3Vt December 2019, will be organized and coordinated by the ECOWAS National Offices in the Member States and are expected to involve representatives from the various stakeholder groups to dialogue and share ideas on eight most topics deemed critical to the regional integration of West Africa. The workshops will be a participatory and inclusive consultation process thereby providing the channel for stakeholders to be consulted through effective, efficient and innovative mechanisms and platforms and shall be set to inform the formulation of a new ECOWAS Vision. Given the urgent importance of these consultations, ECOWAS in collaborations with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa- Sub Regional Office for West Africa and the African Futures Institute have ideally identified development partners within the ECOWAS region and homogeneous group of actors that would constitute the consulting populations.

These include but not limited to: UNDP, GIZ, Senior Officials, Women, Youths, Academics (students, lecturers and researchers) the Media, Religious and traditional leaders, Umbrella bodies of the private sector, Civil Society Organizations (CSO), Trade Unions, Producer umbrella organizations, Defense and security forces, Political Parties and International Development Partners.

Additionally, the following eight key topics have been selected to facilitate the discussions: 1. Population and Human Capital focusing on (fertility, migration, health, education, employment, etc.); 2. Economy (notably with focus on the structural transformation of the economies, intra-regional exchanges and infrastructure); 3. Culture and social structures considering specifically (culture, values and identities, including gender issues; social and organizational innovations); 4. Governance: Taking into account relations between states and non-state actors (COSs, private sector), internal and external security, border management; 5. Peace and Security; 6. Environment and natural resources; 7.Technological and social innovations; 8. Cross-border challenges and other related issues such as (natural resources, pathogenic factors, common currency and security).

With the proper identification of core participants and selected relevant topics to facilitate the holding of these events in all ECOWAS Member States, the stage is now set for the ECOWAS National Office together with the ECO WAS Ambassador’s Office in Liberia including planning experts to conduct the first component of the National Consultative post-Vision 2020 workshops scheduled for 21 and 22 November 2019 in GANTA City drawing participant from Bong, Lofa and the Host County of Nimba. Following the successful outcome of the GANTA program, BO Waterside which connects Liberia and Sierra Leone, will serve as the next venue for hase two participants residing in Upper Montserrado, Grand Cape Mount and Bomi Counties who shall meet from 12-13 December 2019.

Looking into the future, it is certain, that the results obtained from these laudable 019 event holding ¡n Member States shall be translated in concrete actions by ECOWAS thereby making the people of West Africa, the direct beneficiaries of life changing programs and projects that shall be implemented y the regional organization under a new vision characterized by “equal opportunities”.