The Head of Secretariat of the African Union’s Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC), William Carew, has emphasized the need for the establishment of national chapters of the ECOSOCC on the continent made up of Civil Society Organizations to reflect the nature of the African Union as a people centered organization.
According to him, the participation of Civil Society Organization (CSOs) in AU decision making will ensure that the voices of the people are heard in the formulation of the African Union’s policies and programmes for the continent.
He made this known in his opening remarks at a two-day Popularization and Awareness raising workshop on the formulation national chapters of the African Union’s Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC) held in Accra on August 9 and 10, 2023.
The two-day interactive session is an awareness creation and discussion leading to the formalization and operationalization of the ECOSOCC national chapter for Ghana which will play a critical role in ensuring that the voices of the people and Civil Society of Ghana are heard and their views are incorporated in the AU’s policies and programmes.
As the Civil Society Organ of the African Union, ECOSOCC was established in 2004 with the vision of providing a platform for Civil Society to actively engage in the work of the African Union, contributing to the continent’s integration and development. And in 2015, the Executive Council of the AU then resolved to consider the establishment of the National ECOSOCC Chapters.
According to Mr. Carew, the establishment of ECOSOCC demonstrates the African Union’s appreciation of the important role that African Civil Society plays in shaping the continents future by providing technical expertise and being a platform citizen can use to articulate their views, needs and expectations.
“It is a step taken to form a strong partnership between Civil Society Organizations and the African Union in working towards the development and integration of the continent and we are excited to bring CSOs in Ghana on board through this particular workshop,
“We hope that the operationalization of this national chapter will further strengthen the partnership between the Africa Union and Civil Society Organizations in Ghana and does provide a platform for meaningful engagements and collaborations in the pursuit of a better Africa,” he observed.
On his part, the Head of Secretariat of the African Governance Architecture (AGA), Ambassador Sallah Hammad, observed that the participation of the CSOs and the people on the continent in building the Africa we want is key in the process towards the achievement of Africa Union’s Agenda 2063.
Madam Beauty Nartey, Executive Director of the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) and Co-chair of the Ghana Civil Society Forum indicated that Ghana’s CSOs have a lot to share with the rest of Africa, and therefore the collaboration with ECOSOCC will expand their reach.
The interim representative of the Ghana Chapter of ECOSOCC, Tsonam Akpeloo also underscored the importance of the establishment of the national chapter which he said, would facilitate the sharing of advisory opinions by Civil Society Organizations with the African Union.
Source: Clement Akoloh||africanewsradio.com
