By Bakary Touray Jr.
The Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Mr. Mustapha Cisse Lo, has said that security, peace, stability, as well as free movement of people and goods are key contributing factors to any progress towards development.
Lo disclosed that on Thursday, 23rd January 2020, during the opening ceremony of the ongoing ECOWAS Parliament Seminar.
He informed the attendees that the ongoing seminar will provide the platform for ECOWAS Parliamentarians to take stock of the Fourth Legislature, while waiting for the finalization of the book, entitled “The ECOWAS Parliament in Fast Track Mode”.
The Speaker of the sub-regional Parliament further said, cognizant of this fact, the parliament made it a credo and played its role of mediation by anticipating and sending parliamentary mission, to dialogue with stakeholders on conflicts in the sub-region, in order to prevent them.
He highlighted that the parliament played important roles in mediating conflicts in Togo, Benin, Guinea Bissau, Burkina Faso, and between the ruling and opposition parties in Sierra Leone, with a view to preventing deadly conflicts; and in all cases, bringing peace and stability to those countries.
Cisse Lo added:“Our mediation efforts prevented further conflicts and brought peace to the country. Similar interventions have been carried out by the delegations of Members of Parliament for conflict prevention in the mentioned countries.”
He told the Seminar that, ECOWAS Parliament under his reign, has visited all the Heads of State of the community and discussed with them the challenges of implementing protocols and regulations relating to integration of peoples and states, with particular reference to unhindered implementation of the protocol on free movement of persons, goods and services.
“We have also on several occasions, paid visits to some of four countries’ border to sensitize border officials on the full implementation of ECOWAS protocol and prevent harassment of people and businesses crossing our borders,” disclosed Speaker Cisse Lo.
He added, “We have also involved citizens during these missions to sensitize them on citizens’ rights and on the need not to demand or accept bribes for services rendered in good faith to the citizens of the community”.
