ECOWAS has not yet succeeded in freeing itself from the institutional clutches, bureaucracy and interest games of States to become the « ECOWAS of the People » – Dr Cheikh Tidiane DIEYE

The Founding Treaty, the Revised Treaty as well as the various ECOWAS protocols, regulations, directives, etc., voluntarily adopted and signed by the Heads of State, have enshrined: (i) the citizenship of nationals of ECOWAS Member States, (ii) the free movement of persons, goods and services, (iii) the right of establishment and residence, (iv) the right to health, education, food, freedom of expression, democracy and justice. There have certainly been remarkable advances on the road to integration. But overall, ECOWAS has not yet succeeded in freeing itself from the institutional clutches, bureaucracy and interest games of the States to become the « ECOWAS of the Peoples »:1. Delays in key integration issues, notably the common currency (ECO), a symbol of regional monetary sovereignty that has been diverted from its initial vocation and plagued by technical unpreparedness and lack of political will, reducing to nothing decades of efforts, without prior consultation of the peoples The excessive waste of the community’s resources by the governing bodies (Statutory, Meetings of Ministers and Heads of State) of the Community;3. 3. The strong politicization of the Statutory Officers of ECOWAS Institutions, who represent not the aspirations and interests of the citizens of the community but those of the President or the political parties in their own countries. Illegal and illegitimate decisions, leading to excessive, disproportionate and dangerous economic sanctions against the Malian people as well as pressure on the actors of the crisis to make unrealistic commitments in view of the depth of the security, institutional, economic and social crisis that is affecting the country. The 57th Summit currently taking place in Niamey must take all its responsibilities to prevent the current process of rejection of ECOWAS by the citizens from further damaging the image of the institution and undermining its legitimacy. Here are some of the urgent proposals we are making to the Heads of State of the Community: 1. revise the Protocol A/SP1/12/01 on Democracy and Good Governance to prohibit, outlaw and/or definitively refuse any change, alteration and/or modification of the Constitution or any Statute in force of an ECOWAS Member State, in its nature or period, aimed at or intended to render the latter eligible for a third term. In other words, prohibit the 3rd mandate in ECOWAS as it is prohibited, in the same Protocol, any constitutional change 6 months before elections. 2. Depoliticize the ECOWAS Commission by reducing without delay the number of Statutory Officers to a maximum of five (5) in the ECOWAS Commission (instead of the 16 currently representing each Member State): This is a management imperative and a guarantee to save precious resources that could be invested in regional development projects that would benefit the citizens of the Community. 3. Establish without delay and make functional the ECOWAS Economic and Social Council, as an emanation of the representatives of the socio-professional organizations and the Civil Society of ECOWAS Member States as an autonomous consultative body on the economic, social and development issues of the Community 3. Abolish definitively and once and for all the road harassment, bullying, extortion and humiliation suffered by the citizens of the Community at the borders and along the corridors and guarantee the free movement of goods and persons in accordance with the ECOWAS Treaty and the Protocol on the Free Movement of Persons, the Right of Residence and the Right of Establishment; 4. 4. Reconsider excessive, disproportionate and dangerous economic sanctions against the Malian people in order to avoid reinforcing the economic hardships faced by Malians as well as poverty, which could pose serious risks to the security and stability of the country