Foreign Affairs Ministry Launches 'ECOWAS For All' Campaign To Boost Public Awareness

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has launched a nationwide public education campaign dubbed ‘ECOWAS for All’ to bring the Economic Community of West African States closer to ordinary Ghanaians.

The campaign, on the theme ‘Bringing ECOWAS closer to the Citizens, Promoting Awareness, Participation and Opportunities for Regional Integration,’ is aimed at deepening public understanding of ECOWAS policies, programmes and the opportunities available to citizens.

Speaking at the launch on Thursday, October 1, the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, James Gyakye Quayson, said regional integration cannot be effective if citizens do not know their rights and opportunities.

“It is precisely this gap between policy and public awareness that this campaign seeks to address,” he noted.

Mr. Quayson said ECOWAS has over the years delivered tangible benefits including free movement of people and goods, promotion of intra-regional trade, infrastructure development and cooperation among member states.

He cited visa-free travel as a clear example of the bloc’s impact.

“Today a Ghanaian can board a bus in Accra and travel to Lomé, Abidjan or Lagos without applying for a visa. That is ECOWAS at work in the lives of the ordinary citizen,” he said.

Despite these gains, he observed that many Ghanaians, especially traders and entrepreneurs, are still not taking full advantage of the regional market.

He said Ghanaian businesses have huge potential to export processed agricultural products, pharmaceuticals, textiles, machinery and digital services across the sub-region.

Mr. Quayson also reminded citizens of their rights under ECOWAS protocols, including the right to travel visa-free within member states for up to 90 days with valid travel documents and vaccination certificate, and the right to export qualifying goods duty-free under the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS).

“Goods originating in our region that qualify under the ETLS are meant to cross our borders free of import duties. These are not favours. These are your rights,” he stressed.