1,000 Students Sensitised on ECOWAS Protocols
ABOUT one thousand students from tertiary and second-cycle institutions in the Volta Region have completed a sensitisation workshop on the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Protocols, where they were educated on the values, vision, and future prospects of ECOWAS.
The programme, organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with Media Response and the Volta Regional Coordinating Council (VRCC), aimed to expose students to the ECOWAS vision of promoting peace and prosperity in the sub-region by the year 2050.
Addressing participants at the Sokode campus of the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) in the Ho Municipality on Thursday, Ambassador Francis Danti Kotia, Coordinating Director, Multilateral and International Organisations (COD&MIO) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the workshop formed part of the Ministry’s broader mandate to equip the youth with knowledge about ECOWAS roles, vision, and protocols.
Ambassador Kotia said ECOWAS was not merely an organisation but a shared vision of promoting unity, progress, and prosperity for West Africans. Since its establishment in 1975, ECOWAS has played a vital role in advancing economic growth, political stability, and social development in the sub-region.
He emphasised that ECOWAS strives to strengthen integration among member states, addressing challenges such as political instability and economic inequality to achieve lasting unity and development in West Africa.
Ambassador Kotia also announced that scholarships, internships, and cross-border collaboration programmes exist to support students and encouraged participants to take advantage of such opportunities for personal and professional development.
Touching on regional issues, he said the withdrawal of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso from ECOWAS to form the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) was being addressed diplomatically.
He noted that apart from peace and security, the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement and Rights of Residence and Establishment had facilitated cross-border cooperation and expanded economic activities in the region.
According to Ambassador Kotia, available data indicate that the sub-region records an economic output of about $440.49 billion annually, with an export value of about $122.70 billion. Improved democracy and good governance, he added, have fostered accountability and political stability across the region.
The Volta Regional Minister, Mr James Gunu, highlighted that the Volta Region serves as a gateway between Ghana and other ECOWAS countries, playing a crucial role in advancing the organisation’s ideals and objectives. He described the youth as the future of ECOWAS and urged them to actively participate in activities that strengthen regional integration.
Mr Gunu added that the government continues to pursue policies to boost intra-African trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and supports diplomatic efforts to reintegrate Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso into the ECOWAS Community.
He further noted that youth participation in ECOWAS matters was not merely symbolic but strategic, stressing that the success of regional integration depends largely on how the younger generation embraces and lives the ECOWAS dream.
During the plenary sessions, participants discussed topics including an overview of ECOWAS, ECOWAS projects in Ghana, the mandate and functions of the Regional Integration Bureau, the ECOWAS National Office, the ECOWAS Youth Policy—achievements, prospects and challenges, the ECOWAS Gender Policy, and ECOWAS’ role in maintaining peace and security in West Africa, among others.
— FROM SAMUEL AGBEWODE, SOKODE
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