President of ECOWAS and 52nd Ordinary Session

The 16th December was a significant day for the Economic Community of West African Countries (ECOWAS). The president of ECOWAS determines the main integration goals for the West African Community. What were these goals about and who is the president of ECOWAS – find out your answers here!

Present President of ECOWAS and 52nd Ordinary Session

The new president of ECOWAS, Marcel A. De Souza, is in charge of the effective management of the 52nd Ordinary Session of West-African leaders. This session was held in Abuja, Nigeria on the 16th of December.

The president of the Togolese Republic – Faure Essozimna Gnassingbe (who is also the Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State) addressed the leaders of ECOWAS, including the institutions and regional agencies of this organization. His main speech was dedicated to the sustenance of the reforms that should be provided in the country-members of ECOWAS.

According to Faure Essozimna Gnassingbe, the realization of economic prosperity and sustainable stability of the political reforms in ECOWAS country-members will not be possible without implementation of the community protocols. On the macroeconomic level, these implementations may develop programmes and projects inclined towards the economic rise of the ECOWAS countries.

Faure Essozimna Gnassingbe and the president of ECOWAS agreed on the necessity of the regional security and peace-building. The institutional reforms of ECOWAS should revive the infrastructural, economic and political advancement of West Africa. The President of ECOWAS assured that these reforms would touch the areas of telecommunication, transportation, agriculture and others.

The President of ECOWAS, Marcel De Souza also addressed the country members with a speech about the security and economic problems. He admitted that some country-members experienced security and economic difficulties in the past few years. However, he also assured that the future is bright.

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One of his main speeches included Nigeria – the country-host of the 52nd ordinary session. Mr. Marcel De Souza named Nigeria as one of the engine economies for the West-African region. He admitted that its bold recovery from the economic crisis gives the hope for other country members to catch up its growth.

Nonetheless, Mr.Marcel De Souza also expressed his worries about the current political upheavals of some country-members. He stressed that countries should implement a greater commitment to the goals of the ECOWAS. The heads of the states must continue to implement the reforms to improve the efficiency of management for ECOWAS programmes and projects.

The Host President of the 52nd Ordinary Session of ECOWAS, Muhammadu Buhari was honored with the high mark given to Nigeria by the president of ECOWAS. However, the Nigerian president also underlined new and old challenges for the West-African region. It included irregular migration, human trafficking, and terrorism.

Muhammadu Buhari addressed the president of ECOWAS and heads of the states to cooperate and fight crimes connected with the violation of human rights. The president of Nigeria also discussed the migration of workforce in the West-African countries. He hopes that country-members create new jobs to keep balance in their workforce.

Why is the president of ECOWAS so important for Nigeria?

Marcel De Souza took the leadership role on the 8th of April 2016. His main position for this time was connected with the structural reforms of ECOWAS. It included the credibility of the institution amongst the country-members. Marcel de Souza started to implement reforms on 25th of April 2016. The first steps were taken in Nigeria, as the first workshops and seminars were concentrated outside Abuja.

The decision to host workshops outside Abuja was critical as it helped the organisation save money. At the same time, it helped to maintain the structure of the organization.

Marcel De Souza has a Master's Degree in Economics from the University of Dakar. He also got has a Masters in Management and Banking. It helped him a lot in his work with an organization like ECOWAS. His structural reforms created new ways of thinking for the country-members.

What does this mean for Nigeria?

The new president of ECOWAS recognizes Nigeria as one of the main economic engines for ECOWAS. Therefore, Nigerians have better options to implement the principles of ECOWAS. Also, the recent Ordinary Session in Abuja has already shown some results.

One of the main tasks for Nigeria for this session was to bring attention to the problems of Human Trafficking and Migration within the borders of ECOWAS countries. Thus, cooperation between countries in matters like kidnapping, slavery and illegal work must be improved.

Conclusion

The current Ordinary Session in Abuja has shown that the president of ECOWAS suggests that Nigeria is expected to become one of the economic leaders in the region. Therefore, this country will get more weight not only on the West-African geopolitical arena but also on the international level.

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Source: Naija.ng