By Alex Adi
ECOWAS is soliciting partnerships with the media and other civil society organizations to achieve its ‘Vision 2050 ECOWAS of the People’s goal”. It is a collaborative effort between ECOWAS and the Media Foundation For West Africa, a non-profit, to strengthen partnerships between the media and ECOWAS.
At the opening of the first High-Level Meeting of Directors-General of Public Media of ECOWAS Member States at the ECOWAS Commission headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria, the Chief of Saff at the ECOWAS Commission Mr. Abdou Kolley said one of the key areas is to counter misinformation and fake news on ECOWAS activities.
The plan for the two-day strategic meeting is to establish a regional Media Network to strengthen media collaboration, and cooperation between media and other key players in encouraging peace, prosperity and democracy among ECOWAS Member States. The ultimate goal is to contribute to the vision of “ECOWAS of the Peoples: Peace and Prosperity for All.
“The agenda is also to improve on the media’s role in contributing to inclusive governance and citizens’ participation in governance and development process. The ECOWAS Commission also needs the media’s support to identify the initiatives, which should be implemented in member states to raise awareness about ECOWAS’s achievements in the past 50 years. The Chief of Staff at the ECOWAS Commission in Abuja, Mr. Abdou Kolley catalogued some sustainable interventions within the ECOWAS bloc.
He was optimistic that the media partnership would ensure that citizens were informed and educated about ECOWAS’s activities and impact and the role that citizens could play in complementing its efforts to address the challenges collectively.
ECOWAS and the media foundation for West Africa signed a four-year partnership through an MoU in 2023, to step up collaboration and promote democratic values, media freedom, human rights and peace in West Africa. The MoU includes building media capacity, countering misinformation and promoting inclusive governance among others.
