ECOWAS to address security challenges in the region — official

The Special Representative of the ECOWAS President in Cote d’Ivoire, Mr Jonathan Oluwole-Coker, says the Commission is working at addressing security challenges facing the region.

Oluwole-Coker, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abidjan said lack of security was a common problem being experienced by member states.

He said member states would work together to find a common approach to these challenges.

He gave some of the security challenges confronting the region to include piracy off the coast of Guinea and armed rebellion in the Sahel, which created refugee situation in Niger and other countries.

Oluwole-Coker said the commission was striving to become a people-oriented organisation.

“The commission is moving from being an ECOWAS of heads of states and government to that of the people. The ECOWAS that we have now deals with problems affecting the people like humanitarian problems, health issues and agriculture.’’

According to him, countries in the ECOWAS have potentials to attract investment from outside the region.

“Whatever investment ECOWAS is able to attract, will flow over to the citizens of the country. That is why we hope to transform the commission before the year 2020 to become people oriented.”