The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), together with ECOWAS National Unit, has organised a day’s sensitization workshop for students of some selected senior high schools in the Ashanti region, with a call on Ghanaian youth to be abreast with the ECOWAS protocols and serve as ambassadors.
The ECOWAS Protocol refers to activities such as free movement of persons, residence in member countries, and other established guarantees that allow citizens of member states to have the right to enter, reside and establish economic activities in other ECOWAS member countries.
The workshop, which was part of activities marking the 50th anniversary of ECOWAS, brought selected Senior High Students in the Ashanti region, aimed at enlightening and inspiring the youth about the role, vision and protocols of ECOWAS as well as the opportunities which may be derived from it.
It was under the theme “stronger together for a brighter future “.
Mr Felix Akom Nyarko, the Director of Regional Integration at MFA in a keynote address, noted that, the strength of regional integration not only depended on treaties and protocols signed, but also full involvement of the youth.
He said, since its establishment in 1975, the ECOWAS had played a vital role in promoting economic growth, political stability and social development across the West African region.
However, he said, for decades now the region’s intra- regional trade had languished at less than fifteen percent of total trade volume.
He said, this came about due to export of raw materials to Europe and Asia, and buy them back as finished products at expensive prices due to the low industrialization drive in the region.
Mr Nyarko, highlighted the need to be steadfast as pillars of stability and commitment to ECOWAS on its objectives.
“Your generation’s greatest contribution to ECOWAS will not be simple celebrating what has been built, it will be the courage and competence to fix what is broken”, he added
He encouraged the students to learn more on ECOWAS, its values, structures, programmes and opportunities, and actively participate in youth forums and initiatives that promoted regional cooperation.
Ms Dorcas Baidoo, Deputy Director at the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council, said, the workshop presented a timely and meaningful opportunity for our young people to deepen their knowledge and understanding of the ECOWAS protocols that governed relations among member states.
She noted that, these protocols reflected the collective efforts to resolve and uphold peace, stability, good governance, and socio-economic advancement throughout West Africa.
According to her, it was through purposeful engagements such as this that the country could nurture an informed and forward-thinking generation of young people brimming with creativity and potential, capable of sustaining the unity and development of the sub region.
She urged the gathering to renew their commitment to strengthening the ties that united the sub-region and to raising a generation that was firmly rooted in the ideals of peace and cooperation.
Other departments and agencies such as Ministry of Youth development and empowerment, Ghana Immigration Service, Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection also took turn to explain the operation of their offices and urged the students to seek clarification whenever something was bothering them.
Some of the participants, who spoke to GNA expressed their heartfelt gratitude to MFA for the training, saying initially they never knew anything about ECOWAS protocols, but the workshop had enlightened them.