By Godwill Arthur-Mensah
Accra, April 17, GNA – President John Dramani Mahama will give a detailed report on his recent diplomatic engagements with heads of state of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger during the next ECOWAS Summit.
Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, announced that the heads of state of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, who formed the Alliance of Sahelian States (AES), had been invited to attend the upcoming launch of the ECOWAS Golden Jubilee at the Accra International Conference Centre on April 22.
“President Mahama’s recent shuttle diplomacy and pragmatic approach in addressing the Alliance of Sahelian States challenge had been hailed by his peers and many others,” the Minister told the media at a news conference in Accra on Thursday.
The press briefing was to update the public on preparations towards the launch of ECOWAS 50th Anniversary in Accra on April 22.
“In the spirit of goodwill and fostering re-unification in the shortest possible time, President Mahama invited the heads of State of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger to the ECOWAS 50th anniversary launch in Accra,” he said.
“President Mahama has briefed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Chair of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State about it.”
“The invitation to the heads of state of the Alliance of Sahelian States did not receive any resistance, which is a sign of commitment and genuine desire for ECOWAS to re-integrate them to the sub-regional bloc.”
Mr Ablakwa said the people of the Alliance of Sahelian States and other West African nations shared common cultural heritage and social bonds, thus the importance to find an amicable solution to the issues that necessitated their exit from the regional bloc.
Meanwhile, the ECOWAS vision to establish a common currency for trading purposes remains active.
“The vision is alive. It has not been abandoned but the challenge is finding a common platform to converge. Primary structures have been done and we must keep hope alive,” he added.
Mr Ablakwa mentioned efforts by ECOWAS to set up a common Standby force, financial institutions and a Central Bank to drive the integration efforts, saying; “So, the ideals of our founding fathers are very much alive”.
Earlier, the Foreign Minister announced that Ghana would host the ECOWAS 50th Anniversary launch in Accra on April 22, 2025.
As part of the golden Jubilee launch, Ghana would also host an Extraordinary Meeting of the Council of Ministers of ECOWAS on April 22 and 23, 2025.
The meeting would deliberate on the exit of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger from ECOWAS and prepare a comprehensive report for the consideration of the Heads of State, Mr Ablakwa stated.
GNA
ABD