The Ministry of Planning and Economic Development (MoPED) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Tuesday 19th February 2025 commenced sensitisation meetings in Bonthe Island, Mattru Jong and Pujehun District respectively.
The main objective of the sensitisation meetings are to among others enlighten the public about the activities of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) that will celebrate its Silver Jubilee in May this year.
At the Bonthe District Council Hall, the District Officer, Mr. Aruna Turay, who chaired the meeting, appealed to stakeholders to disseminate the knowledge gained during the meeting to others.
The ECOWAS Commissioner in Sierra Leone, Mr. Aruna Musa, assured that the Commission is now people-centred, the reason they are meeting the people to know their challenges and proffer solutions noting that most people know about the military wing of the Commission, ECOMOG than Commission itself.
The Minister of MoPED, Madam Kenyeh Barlay disclosed that the meeting is to sensitize the people about the forthcoming Silver Jubilee of ECOWAS affirming that with the exception of Bonthe Island they have sensitized other parts of the country observing that Bonthe Island was the first Municipality in the country.
She underscored that ECOWAS would celebrate its 50th anniversary on 28th May this year, that ECOWAS is for the people who must also be part of it as well as contribute to its development.
The Minister also talked about Sierra Leone’s Medium-Term National Development Plan (MTNDP) that prioritises agriculture, human capital development, infrastructure, youth employment, transforming the public sector infrastructure and informed that each District has its own priorities in the MTNDP.
The Minister continued that ECOWAS volunteers are working in Sierra Leone in the health, education and other sectors, that ECOWAS has constructed the Logistics Depot in Lungi that would soon be opened, supporting the Aberdeen Women’s Centre and the Kono University and disclosed plans to write proposals to access ECOWAS funds to expand the Bonthe Island market and cold room.
Highlighting priorities of Bonthe Island in the MTNDP, she catalogued mechanised farming, a standard referral hospital, sea ambulance, youth employment scheme, enterprises for youths, technical and vocational institutions and remote allowances for workers.
In his PowerPoint presentation on activities of ECOWAS in Sierra Leone, the Deputy Development Secretary and Head of the ECOWAS Desk, MoPED, Mr Komba Momoh explained its historical background, the number of Member Countries, its vision, institutions and its interventions in Sierra Leone.
He explained that ECOWAS was primarily created for economic activities amongst its member counties, that the political treaty was signed in 1973, that three Member Countries recently left the Commission and that the headquarters of the ECOWAS Commission is based in Abuja, Nigeria.
Mr. Momoh furthered that other objectives of the Commission are to harmonize policies to protect the environment and combat climate change, establish a common market, adopt common tariffs, promote free movements of goods and services, common currency and promote good governance and democracy.
Other objectives are to prevent, manage and resolve conflicts and the right of resilience and establishment.
Institutions created by ECOWAS include the Community Court of Justice, the Bank of Investment and Development, the West Africa Health Organisation, the Action Group Against Money Laundering and Terrorism in West Africa, the Office of the Auditor General and the ECOWAS Parliament.
The vision of ECOWAS is full integration by 2050, have strong institutions, respect for human rights and training of youths for self-reliance.
The Mayor of Bonthe City Council, Mr. Mohamed Robinson recalled the days when the Bonthe Municipality was a place of rest and holidaying, that it was well-planned by the colonial masters and that children born in the island automatically became second class British citizens.
He also revealed that there are 11 chiefdoms in the District, that unlike at the moment, all Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies were based in the island and appealed to Government for a modern market with cold room adding that they are optimistic that the island would once again become a paradise with the support of the President without whom the island would have sank.
According to the Mayor, indigenes of the island are now returning to reclaim their lands and renovate their houses.
Highlights of the well-attended event were the question and answer session and screening of the video on ECOWAS.
