As Nigeria extends its membership of Economic Community of West African States(ECOWAS) from 1975 till date, the valid questions about what benefits lie in the relationship are worthy of review. In recent times, the influential British 17.5 million people made a half -hearted choice of remaining or leaving the European Union. As the months of intellectual and myopic debate swung among eligible voters in the build up to the BREXIT heart-break encomiumed as a referendum.
The EU is attributed with an interlaced political economy that determines how 28 countries could support, save or savage each other from the modern claws of recession, immigration, work permits and defining a similar democracy. Other major issues are inclusive of shadow interests in security, agriculture, justice and special sanctions.
EU built up its existence on a treaty agreement since 1958, the UK launched its disagreement on values that have become dissimilar in 2016. From much indications, it appears the issue of immigration and sustainability plan mapped off the UK agenda in the EU. So valuable and personal is the chronicle of the exit that the outgoing British Prime Minister, David Cameroon envisage dealing with a flying axe of a possible recession than a face-off on competence.The EU is sophisticated by all the mergers of association and processes among its member countries.
Contrasting a fragile but similar arrangement is the relationship among the ECOWAS States: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Côte D’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo; the value derived in cultural and geopolitical ties and shared in common economic interest,
Is ECOWAS or ECO-(W-A-S: Walking Away Slowly) in the sight of the West African leaders who are closely united by foreign aids, economic desperation and security challenges.
Are West African Countries in ECO(WAS) – Walking Away Slowly
Gambia -In the Gambia, much progress at 51 years of independence is a lively debate on the ‘progress, peace and prosperity’ of the Islamic Republic of The Gambia, as the power engulfed under the coup adopted leadership of Yahya Jammeh remains, his loyalist get better job swaps at the odds of anyone else.
Tales of torture of oppositions leads the claims of bold Gambia media print outs on some days, the big stories do not necessarily capture a paralysed economy, high unemployment or a bridge of an international protocol.
Gambia leans strongly on Senegal for economic support but very happy with close ties with the IMF who provided $10.8 million in emergency financial assistance in April 2015 to shore up the country’s finances amidst a 50% population in poverty enclave. Gambia in ECOWAS is the awkward baby with President Jammeh accused of disrupting peace process in Guinea Bissau while serving as a catalyst to a coup process. ECOWAS is holding its breath on the suspension of Gambia especially with calls from Amnesty International to do so on human rights abuse.
Liberia – the CIA describes it as a country with ‘a low-income country that relies heavily on foreign assistance’. The business of war in the 90s made much of its survival scavenging for indefinite optimism. In 2014, it’s ECOWAS dependence resurged as the battle against the Ebola Virus practically wiped Liberia of people, capital and the liberal spirit known in the ‘Land of the Free’.
Led by its President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, her task has been moving the country from survival to sustenance in a difficult Liberian decade. Liberia may also be described as the biggest investment ECOWAS have made to keep peace at the price of fending off warlords.
An Agenda for Peace, 1992 was surely an experiment for peace by UN and ECOWAS, even then article 33 of the UN Charter explored how viable the peacekeeping process of ECOMOG (Monitoring Group of ECOWAS) has been.
President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is also the chairperson of ECOWAS and also the custodian of an EU’s funding of US $1 billion dollars for infrastructural development, especially for bad roads and energy in West Africa.
Will such funding keep all member states of ECOWAS at the table to discuss the days ahead or rainy days requiring ‘fund porting’ (reassigning the use of money) to other live threatening issues evident in the 340 million people and counting in the region?
Nigeria – is arguably the most bragged about West Africa country. Its dynamic for its role as a class captain of developing countries in Africa even though apportioned with the misfortunes of leadership culture and vast natural resources. A major security chief in the region and a debtor of interest to ECOWAS.
The frenzy of Nigeria relations within ECOWAS is on a constant news cycle with the free flow of leaders from surrounding countries asking for partnerships or giving unsolicited advice on moving the region in a preferred political direction.
In 2014 having rebased its economic parameters in an exercise more of confident assurance than reality, Nigeria emerged the largest African economy and also cleverly started losing its sales dignity in the oil market. With a large portion of the population armed with unemployment for close to a decade, not much vacuum as regards the motive for terrorism exist.
In ECOWAS, Nigeria’s military strength is worth a lot and with a supposedly once strong currency it kept the dynamics of foreign exchange meaningful. A rethink of its financial commitment comes to play in the $694,000 annual levy debt, described by President of ECOWAS, Marcel De Souza as ‘The community levy which represents 90 percent of our funding is no longer regularly paid by most member states; Nigeria is not alone in this regard, also Cote D’Ivoire.”
“We see that the greatest challenge lies with Nigeria. The arrears that Nigeria is owing is 694,000 dollars because there was no payment made between 2015 and 2016. Because of the debt burden it carries, ECOWAS is now losing its credibility.”
ECOWAS states have retained a major strategy which is not to rock the boat when the cash funding would need to come from EU, World Bank or UN in a silent unity of benefits. No one can predict when the umbrella grants that will salvage many of the members of ECOWAS from the rainy days of austerity. United by problems in the scarcity of solutions, ECOWAS member countries are WALKING AWAY SLOWLY from the true commitment to the region when less is coming in.
ECOWAS shares dynamism with an active or passive member who portray selective interest, it’s a troubling task when indifference to progress or retrogression is the status of any of the 15 member states.
Integrating the differences of the West African countries is reinforced on economic worth, political philosophies, growing population, social myths, language or complexion of its citizen.
The illusive ambition in the region is the possible introduction of the single currency by the year 2020 which will harmonise the strong and weak currencies like #PoundingTheEuro. An idealistic exit of Naira from Nigeria and CFA in Senegal. The counter argument of Ghanian Vice President, Kwesi Amissah-Arthur describes its preliminary features ‘we continue to expend time and effort in holding meetings; 35 so far for the Convergence Council. Have meetings become an end in themselves?
“We have postponed the establishment of the second monetary zone five times. Given the lack of clear progress on the substantive convergence agenda, do we still need a WAMZ agenda that is costing our taxpayers a lot of money with no end in sight’
In days ahead integrating the differences of ECOWAS States may move into differentiating their integration, if nations decline to work on their character for progress.
Femi D Amele is a multi award winning Broadcast Current Affairs Journalist based in Abuja Nigeria. Best known for his thought provoking and decisive writings across digital publications and printed magazines.
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