The President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, has called for the strengthening of Regional Economic Communities (RECs) as the panacea for achieving solidarity, equality, and sustainability.
Addressing the G20 Ministerial Conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Friday, February 21, 2025, Dr. Touray noted that stronger Regional Economic Communities would enhance international cooperation and multilateralism.
“If you want to deliver on solidarity, equality and sustainability, we must support and strengthen Regional Economic Communities (RECs). I would like to appeal to the Chair to include this call in the conclusions of these proceedings. Indeed, stronger Regional Economic Communities will give meaning to the calls for international cooperation and enhance multilateralism.
“ECOWAS welcomes the priorities South Africa has set for its Presidency. We welcome the focus on disaster resilience. Between 2022 and 2024 alone, 10 out of the 15 Member States of ECOWAS required disaster response.
“This experience shows that the best response to fragility is not disaster response but stronger resilience,” Dr. Touray said.
According to him, underscoring the importance of debt sustainability as a driver of inclusive development and growth as well as a catalyst for stronger Regional Economic Communities.
He stressed that while energy transition is a must, its implementation, however, must be fair, just and equitable to all.
“For ECOWAS, debt sustainability is about reducing poverty and promoting peace and security. Data has shown that poverty lies at the heart of insecurity in our regions as most recruits of armed groups – especially terrorist groups – join conflict not out of conviction but out desperation and need to gain employment. Debt sustainability is also a driver of inclusive development and growth as well as a catalyst for stronger Regional Economic Communities. In ECOWAS for example, our march towards a single currency and by extension stronger Community, is being delayed by growing debt levels. Energy transition is a must, but it should be underpinned by equity and fairness and finance is critical to this,” he said.
While acknowledging that Artificial Intelligence( AI) holds considerable promise for humanity, the ECOWAS Commission President urged the G20 Task Force on AI to pay special attention to the risks of misusing AI in generating and disseminating fake news and disinformation that have the potential to disrupt social cohesion in Communities.
He reaffirmed ECOWAS’ unflinching support and commitment to working with the South African Presidency of the G20 in Johannesburg, South Africa, achieving its set priorities.
“Paying attention to those challenges is not about restriction but about peace and security. ECOWAS therefore supports and welcomes the Task Force and urges the Task Force to pay special attention to the risks of misusing AI to generate and disseminate fake news and disinformation that have the potential to disrupt social cohesion in Communities. ECOWAS stands ready to work with South African Presidency on these important priorities,” he added.
The G20 or Group of 20, is an intergovernmental forum comprising 19 sovereign countries (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Türkiye, the United Kingdom, and the United States), the European Union, and the African Union.
South Africa’s President, Cyril Ramaphosa officiated last week’s Meeting of G20 Foreign Ministers under South African Presidency.
GIK/APA