Abuja — The ECOWAS Council of Ministers has appealed to Member States to pay up their outstanding Community levy before the next summit of Heads of State and Government to enable the regional organization discharge its mandate effectively to the citizens. At the end of the 66th session of the Council in Abuja on Friday, 19th August 2011, the ministers expressed concern at the low level of payment of the levy which the organization uses to fund the activities of the ECOWAS Commission, Community institutions and programmes.
The instrument for the levy, a tax on imports from outside the region, requires that the levy should be collected by Member States and paid into a dedicated ECOWAS account. The Council also directed the ECOWAS Commission to urgently convene a meeting of the regional Chiefs of Defence Staff to holistically address the nascent problem of piracy off the coast of some Member States. This followed a request by the Government of Benin which complained that the problem was affecting its economy adversely. On the challenges experienced with the intra-Community movement of persons, goods and services, the ministers recommended that the obstacles impeding the smooth implementation of the regional Protocol on the Free Movement of Persons, Right of Residence and Establishment should be addressed through a specific programme to be led by a Head of State.
The three-day meeting also expressed support for the Government of Cote d'Ivoire in its efforts to return the headquarters of the African Development Bank (AfDB) to Abidjan from where it was relocated temporarily to Tunis following the political crisis in that country. The Council endorsed a proposal by the ministers responsible for security in the region for the creation of a committee of chiefs of security services as part of regional efforts to address the challenges of cross-border security, the proliferation of small arms and light weapons and terrorism by supporting the work of Interpol and facilitating capacity building for the services.
In addition, the Council confirmed the retention of the regional Interpol bureau in Abidjan and approved the proposal by the ministers of security at their November 2009 meeting in Abuja, for the institution of a code of conduct for the armed forces and security services to promote best practices among the services and respect for human rights of citizens. Also endorsed was the report of the ministers of agriculture which contained the strategic priorities and work plan for the sector for 2011, including the implementation of the Regional Agricultural Investment Programme; the establishment of a financial and institutional mechanism for the effective take-off of the Regional Agricultural Fund.
The Council equally endorsed the report of the meeting of sectoral ministers which approved the creation of the Regional Animal Health Centre as a specialized ECOWAS centre for animal health as well as a strategic plan for the transformation of the cattle, meat and dairy sectors. Among other reports endorsed by the Council was that of the third meeting of the ministers responsible for mineral resources which recommended a draft Supplementary Act for the consideration of regional leaders on the ECOWAS Mineral Development Policy and Action Plan. The policy seeks to ensure that the region's vast mineral resources are harnessed to promote sustainable economic growth and integrated development.
During the meeting, the Council considered the interim report of the President of the Commission, His Excellency James Victor Gbeho, which highlighted the progress with regional development and integration programmes as well as the challenges confronting the organization. The Ministers also endorsed the draft agenda for the next summit of Heads of State and Government of the Community.
