-O. Adejo
Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, has charged the new leadership of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to work harder to resolve lingering issues in the region.
He stated this in Accra during the 61st Ordinary Session of ECOWAS where Guinea-Bissau President Sissoco Embaló took over as Chairman of the regional organisation along with his new commission.
Osinbajo praised the outgoing Chairman, President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana for doing an excellent job during his tenure, which was marred by several regional challenges.
He further informed the new leadership that they would need to work much harder to resolve some of the outstanding issues.
According to the Vice President, the main issues confronting the West African region are economic difficulties and the Russian-Ukraine conflict.
Another major issue, he said, is the region’s fondness for coups. Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Mali have all experienced coups in the last few years. In addition, coup attempts failed in Guinea-Bissau and Niger.
Apart from the challenges, Osinbajo praised some of ECOWAS’s progress, particularly in the area of the Lagos-Abidjan corridor, which will aid in the movement of goods and services.
The lifting of financial and economic sanctions against Mali as the country prepares for a return to democratic rule was a major decision made at the summit in Accra.
Leave a Comment