BFF Challenges 200 Border Agents, Women Traders to Uphold ECOWAS Protocols

11 May 2011

At least 200 border security agents and women traders in Lofa County have been certificated for attending a daylong clinic which borders on the exigencies of the Compendium of Protocols, Conventions and Decisions relating to Free Movement of Persons and Goods in the region of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

The Community seeks to promote co-operation and development in all fields of economic activity particularly in the fields of industry, transport, telecommunications, energy, agriculture, natural resources, commerce, monetary and financial questions, and in social and cultural matters for the purpose of raising the standard of living of its peoples, of increasing and maintaining economic stability, of fostering closer relations among its members and of contributing to the progress and development of the African continent.

Lofa, which is the biggest of Liberia’s 15 counties, has many porous boundaries, and a few officially recognized boundaries including Maendekoma, Bongudu, Yeala port and Sorlumda, among others that are used for cross border trades and commerce with predominate involvement of women.

The workshop in Lofa, which is a part of a six month project, sponsored by the European Union (EU), with ECOWAS, as contracting authority, was organized by Better Future Foundation (BFF), a non-governmental organization, to create massive awareness among interstate women traders and state law enforcement agents assigned at air, land and sea entry points of Liberia.

Galakpai Kortimai, Superintend of Lofa County in his welcome statement at the workshop challenged the participants to drink from the reservoir of knowledge the BFF forum has to offer.

The Lofa Superintendent who received copies of the ECOWAS Treaty and its related conventions assured organizers of the project for the giant step taken towards actualizing the vision and aspirations of the sub-regional leaders for the benefit of community citizens. He also lauded the BFF president for making the treaty assessable to broad spectrum of the Liberian nation.

The key facilitator for the workshop, Rev. Augustine S. Arkoi, encouraged the participants who also included 46 border security agents, 76 cross border women leaders and traders and other stakeholders to operate within the framework of protocols, conventions and decisions of ECOWAS on Free Movement of Persons, Goods and Services at all times.

Rev. Arkoi further encouraged the participants to, among others; acquire legitimate travel documents, live above doing business with, and conniving with drugs and contraband smugglers as such acts were in violation of the ECOWAS Free Movement Treaty ad conventions.

The daylong workshop in Lofa, just as others, ended with the distribution of manuals copies of the treaties and conventions to not only the seminar participants, citizens and other stakeholders in Voinjama and its environs.

The awareness workshop is being implemented in 11 counties by BBF. Other counties that hugely benefited from the project include Grand Cape Mount, Maryland, Bomi, Grand Gedeh, Nimba and Bong with approximately 700 participants.

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