Another Talk-Shop

The 45 th Ordinary Session of the Heads of State of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) ended last week.

Believe it or not, it was another talk-shop graced by all manner of presidents with varying degrees of democratic and governance credentials: they talked, promised and departed to their home countries feeling good and satisfied.

As for their suffering citizens, the least talked about them the better.

As usual, a beautiful picture has been painted by the image managers of the leaders, especially the host leader. When Mr. Dotse Malor spoke for his boss - President Mahama - he did it with so much PR, we can bet, the just ended deliberation would be poles apart from previous ones organised by presidents long exited from the seat of government or even dead. We expect that his counterparts in the member ECOWAS countries would do same, if not more colourful. Anyway, presidential spokespersons are paid to do just that; the veracity of what they put out notwithstanding.

The agenda before them and about which they pretended to have done very well were ambitious, whichever way we look at them.

On the issue of Community Biometric Identity Card which is expected to ensure that holders enjoy the facilities they are entitled to in members' countries, we found the decision on it interesting and thought-provoking.

The issue of free movement is as old as the ECOWAS concept. To date though only little progress has been made in that direction, if at all: citizens from member countries go through countless hassles when they step in neighbouring countries. In fact, citizens of the European Union enjoy better deference at the border posts than their ECOWAS counterparts. There is not going to be any difference, following the recent talking session anyway.

The Francophone countries are the worst offenders when it comes to breaches of the ECOWAS protocol on free movement of citizens. If the possession of the current biometric passport does not command special treatment for holders in member countries, we do not know how the biometric identity card will.

Perhaps there are details we are yet to be apprised with. On that score we would rest our case and wait and see just how this idea would work.

Suffice it to point out how Ghanaian traders are denied the so-called advantages of being ECOWAS citizens when doing business in Nigeria or even in Niger.

In Niger non-citizens, especially in the salt business, cannot sell the commodity without passing through indigenous Nigerienes, ECOWAS protocol notwithstanding.

Ghana is the best in terms of hospitality for ECOWAS members. We sometimes go overboard in the implementation of the protocol. Allowing Togolese and others to register as voters in Ghana is certainly not part of the protocol. See what we mean?

We wish to acknowledge, however, the performance of the IGP and his officers in ensuring that motorists do not pass through the hassle they did when the ECOWAS leaders converged on Accra earlier.