The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has launched a nationwide citizen engagement and public sensitisation campaign dubbed “ECOWAS for All” to deepen public awareness of regional integration and promote greater citizen participation in the affairs of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
The campaign, launched in Accra under the theme “Bringing ECOWAS Closer to the Citizen: Promoting Awareness, Participation and Opportunities for Regional Integration,” seeks to bridge the gap between ECOWAS policies and the daily experiences of citizens by enhancing understanding of the rights, benefits and opportunities available under regional integration frameworks.
Speaking at the launch, the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, James Gyakye Quayson, noted that although ECOWAS had over the past five decades played a critical role in advancing regional peace and security, free movement of persons, trade and cooperation, many citizens remained unaware of the opportunities available to them under various ECOWAS protocols.
He said the campaign was designed to close that knowledge gap and empower citizens to take advantage of the benefits of regional integration.
According to him, such benefits include visa-free travel within the ECOWAS region, opportunities for regional trade under the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS), and the right to reside and establish businesses in other member states, subject to national laws and regulations.
Mr Gyakye Quayson explained that the campaign would adopt a citizen-centred approach through stakeholder forums, media engagements, student workshops and public sensitisation activities in communities and marketplaces, including Makola and Madina markets.
He added that outreach programmes would also be organised in border communities such as Aflao and Elubo to engage traders, transport operators, students and residents on issues relating to customs procedures, travel documentation and border processes, while gathering feedback to inform policy implementation.
The Deputy Minister reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to regional integration and the ECOWAS Vision 2050 agenda and called on traders, business associations, educational institutions, transport operators, the media and government agencies to actively support the initiative.
In her welcome address, the Chief Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Khadija Idrissu, described the campaign as Ghana’s practical contribution to the long-standing goal of transforming ECOWAS from a community of states into a community of people.
She said the initiative would help bridge information gaps regarding opportunities in travel, trade, employment and education and ensure that citizens are able to fully benefit from regional integration.
Ambassador Idrissu stressed that feedback from traders, transport operators, border communities, students and other stakeholders would play an important role in efforts to improve the implementation of ECOWAS policies and procedures.
The ECOWAS Resident Representative in Ghana, Ambassador Mohammed Lawan Gana, described the campaign as timely and necessary, noting that regional integration could only achieve its intended impact when citizens understood and benefited from its programmes.
He highlighted opportunities available through ECOWAS in areas such as trade, education, entrepreneurship, skills development and investment, and underscored the importance of initiatives including the ECOWAS biometric identification system and the SIGMAT automated transit management platform in facilitating free movement and cross-border trade.
Ambassador Gana encouraged young people, women, civil society organisations, the private sector, traditional and religious leaders, and the media to actively participate in the regional integration process.
Providing an overview of the campaign, the Director of the Regional Integration Bureau of the Ministry, Ahmed Tijani, stated that local Ghanaian languages would be extensively used in appropriate settings to ensure that campaign messages effectively reached citizens at the grassroots level.
The Deputy Commissioner of Immigration and Head of Operations at the Ghana Immigration Service, Justice Amevor, also stressed the need to strengthen implementation of the ECOWAS Free Movement Protocol.
He noted that while significant progress had been made over the years, challenges persisted in the recognition and effective use of regional travel documents.
Mr Amevor explained that the ECOWAS biometric identity card, known in Ghana as the Ghana Card, was introduced to harmonise travel documentation and facilitate free movement within the sub-region, expressing confidence that the campaign would enhance public understanding and acceptance of the card as a recognised travel document.
The Secretary-General of the ECOWAS Brown Card Insurance Scheme, Richard Sarbah Eshun, used the occasion to raise awareness about the scheme, explaining that it provides compensation for victims of cross-border motor accidents and allows claims to be processed through national bureaux without requiring victims to travel to the country where a vehicle is registered.
The event brought together members of the diplomatic corps, representatives of ministries, departments and agencies, ECOWAS institutions, academia, business associations, civil society organisations and the media.
The “ECOWAS for All” campaign will run over the coming months, with activities aimed at bringing ECOWAS closer to citizens and ensuring that regional integration translates into tangible benefits in the daily lives of people across Ghana.