ECOWAS Parliament in Serious discussion on Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso Exit-Hon Bedzrah

A member of Ghana’s delegation to Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) Parliament, Hon Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah, has said the sub-regional parliament is working closely with other bodies to stop the exit of Niger, Mali and Burkina-Faso from the sub-regional bloc.

According to him, “a number of committees have been set by the ECOWAS parliament and others to address the recent developments and challenges faced in our sub-region.”

He explained that the exit of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso would not serve the interest of the people of those countries in terms of economic, social and trade relations with the rest of the ECOWAS member states.

Hon Bedzrah disclosed this during an interview with EXPRESSNEWSGHANA, in Accra on Tuesday, February 13, 2024.

The ECOWAS convened a meeting recently to discuss the political developments in the region.

The meeting discussed the announced exit of three of its members from the bloc, Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali.

It also discussed the situation in Senegal following the postponement of the election that was scheduled to be held later this month.

This, Mr. Bedzrah said the threat of exit of the three Sahel countries are of great concern to the sub-regional bloc, hence the discussion and mediation ongoing at different level to resolve the issues.

“Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger exit would not be the interest of the region. We must work and help resolve it so they return to ECOWAS,” Bedzrah stressed.

He added that it is incumbent on the leaders of the bloc to devise solutions to the challenges bedevilling the region.

Mr. Bedzrah who is also the lawmaker for Ho West in Ghana’s parliament noted that while the bloc seeks solutions, it must remain committed to the principles of democratic governance and safeguarding the right of our people to freely elect their leaders.

In his considered view, the problems bedevilling the region are as a result of bad leadership, a situation he believed is destroying the collective development of the region.

The Ghanaian lawmaker underscored the need for leaders of the region to take firm decisions to ensure that ECOWAS Member States abide by the laws that brought them to power.

He expressed confident that the current ECOWAS parliament would make progress in electoral reforms and transitional legal framework to deal with such issues.

Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso on 28 January in a joint statement announced they were exiting ECOWAS, citing what they said were inhumane sanctions, and deviation of the block from its founding principles amongst others.

ECOWAS had responded that it did not receive any notification on the said withdrawal.

Meanwhile, the Ghanaian lawmaker has been honoured for his commitment to work as a legislator by the 5^th Parliament of ECOWAS.

“Outstanding Committee Award presented to Hon Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah for your outstanding Commitment as a Member of ECOWAS Parliament 5^th Legislature 2020-2024,” the Award plague read.