Vice President calls for implementation of Customs Union
Vice President John Dramani Mahama on Thursday called for the implementation of a Customs union which had been on the drawing board of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for years now.
Its implementation, he said, would not only facilitate the movement of goods and people within the sub-region, but would also pave way for subsequent implementation of other agreements such as Free Trade Zone, Economic Partnership Agreements and regional energy strategy.
Vice President Mahama made the call when he addressed Nigeria’s 51st Independence Anniversary Lecture under the theme: “The Leadership Role of Nigeria and Ghana in the Sub-Regional Integration of ECOWAS.”
The lecture was organised by the Nigerian High Commission in Ghana under the auspices of Musiliu M.O Obanikoro, Nigerian High Commissioner and attended by government functionaries, Former President John Agyekum Kufuor, Mr Ike Ekweremadu, Speaker of ECOWAS Parliament and Deputy Senate President of Nigeria, Nana Akuffo-Addo, Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party for the 2012 elections, Members of the Diplomatic corps and students from other African countries.
Vice President Mahama said the Customs Union, which involved trading goods between countries without any customs restrictions among member states, could spur the private sector to invigorate their businesses and reduce overdependence on imports from the Western countries.
He observed that although its implementation had over the years been lauded by member countries, Ghana and Nigeria had respected democracies and could therefore blaze the trail in that respect for other countries to emulate.
“We need the countries with the political will to start the ECOWAS Customs Union to encourage other member countries to join in the implementation for the benefit of all.”
The Vice President stated that although the sub-region had made some tremendous strides in the past few years, issues of insecurity, artificial barriers and petty conflicts were still undermining the progress and growth of the continent and called on member countries to prioritize those areas to tailor strategies for development.
“The continent is making some progress, but there is also the need to remove the numerous security checkpoints, illegal barriers and work against the high level of insecurity on our roads.”
Former President John Agyekum Kufuor called on African countries to encourage massive agricultural activities that would make them self-reliant and net exporters of food to other continents in the coming years.
He said the perennial influx of both raw and finished goods from other continents was not only stifling the domestic economic initiatives of African countries, but also imposed unnecessary competition on local African products.
Former President Kufuor called for the reinvigoration of democratic institutions across the continent as a way of discouraging political conflicts and election malpractices to pave the way for a smooth democratic dispensation.
Mr Ike Ekweremadu, Speaker of ECOWAS Parliament said the only way ECOWAS member-counties could achieve their integration programme was through the reinforcement of existing partnerships, dismantling artificial barriers and the implementation of zero tolerance for conflicts and corruption.
He called on member countries to make ample use of the expertise and technical know-how of the advanced African countries to develop the less privileged states in the sub-region, as an encouragement for them to strive for higher development programmes.
Nana Prah Agyensam, Paramount chief of Owirenkyi in the Central Region, who chaired the programme, congratulated all Nigerians on the 51st Independence Anniversary and appealed to them to use the occasion as an opportunity to do some stock-taking to improve on their own lot and that of their neighbours.
Source: GNA