President Akufo-Addo, the chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), has called on his colleague heads of state to contribute of their best during deliberations to ensure that ECOWAS deals decisively with the political impasse in Guinea.
In his opening statement at the extraordinary session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government in Accra on Thursday (16 September 2021), President Akufo-Addo said he is confident the leaders will rise to the occasion as they have done in the past.
“We are required to take informed decisions on these matters that will have long-term consequences for the stability and the defence of democratic values of our region.
“I count on you, Your Excellencies, to help proffer durable solutions to the crisis. I am confident that, as in the past, we will rise to the occasion,” the ECOWAS chair said.
Participation and agenda
Overall, eight presidents, one vice-president and three foreign ministers are attending the ECOWAS extraordinary summit.
Under the agenda for the meeting, the heads of state and government will receive and give consideration to the report by the high-level mission to the Republic of Guinea. This was led by the chair of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers and Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey.
They will also be presented with an update on the transition in the Republic of Mali by the ECOWAS mediator on Mali, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, the former president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The heads of state will then deliberate on both reports and issue a final communiqué.
High-level mission
The high-level, four-member mission appointed by ECOWAS heads of state to assess the political situation in the Republic of Guinea included Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, who is also the chair of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers.
The other members of the team were Jean Claude Kassi Brou, the president of the ECOWAS Commission; Alpha Barry, Burkina Faso’s minister of foreign affairs, co-operation and African integration who also has responsibility for Burkinabès abroad; and Robert Dussey, minister of foreign affairs, regional integration and Togolese abroad.
Wilberforce Asare
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