President Mahama calls for continued dialogue with Alliance of Sahel States
President John Dramani Mahama has called for the preservation of dialogue between ECOWAS member states and the Alliance of Sahel States, stressing that peace and economic transformation in the sub-region depend on continuous cooperation among all countries in West Africa.
President Mahama made the call during the 69th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, held in Lungi, Sierra Leone.
He said confronting emerging threats such as terrorism, violent extremism and transnational organised crime required coordinated and collaborative action among ECOWAS member states, the Alliance of Sahel States and other partners.
“This calls for continuous cooperation among ECOWAS member states, the Alliance of Sahel States and other partners. We must therefore preserve channels of dialogue among all countries in our sub-region, including the Alliance of Sahel States,” he said.
He said geography had made the countries of the sub-region neighbours, history had made them partners, and the future required that they remain one West African family. “Geography has made us neighbours, history has made us partners, and our future requires that we remain one West African family,” he said.
President Mahama acknowledged that differences may arise from time to time among countries in the sub-region, but stressed that such differences should never diminish the shared commitment to peace, cooperation and the long-term prosperity of the region’s people.
“Differences may arise from time to time, but they should never diminish our shared commitment to peace, cooperation and the long-term prosperity of our people,” he stressed.
He said peace and security remained fundamental to the development of the sub-region, stating that without peace, development would remain an illusion.
He said this, together with sustainable economic transformation, was central to the ECOWAS Compact’s vision of enabling the region to occupy its rightful place within the global community of nations.
Richard Aniagyei, ISD
