Monrovia – As part of its activity program for 2018, the ECOWAS Parliament is preparing to conduct a preliminary finding on the free movement of people between the Liberia- Sierra Leone and the Liberia-Guinea borders.
The fact-finding mission will be conducted on September 28 and 29, and it is intended to strengthen regional integration, the legislative body of the regional bloc said in a letter to the Special Representative of the President of the ECOWAS Commission to Liberia.
The Speaker of the ECOWAS parliament Hon. Mustapha Cisse Lo will lead a delegation to undertake the visits to Liberia-Sierra Leone borders on September 28 and also to the Liberia-Guinea borders on September 29.
As head of the Liberia delegation, Bomi County Representative Edwin Melvin Snowe, who is a member of the parliament, will serve as coordinator of the mission during the border visits.
He is available to provide further information about the plan border visits, the letter to the head of the ECOWAS office in Monrovia stated.
The letter adds that since the parliament regained its power back in 2016, it has made it a priority to achieve “economic and monetary integration” into tangible activities that impact the lives of ECOWAS citizenry of more than 300 million people.
“Parliament has sought to organize fact-finding and awareness mission that involve the participation of government officials working on the relevant national structures as well as the general populace of the region in a bid to extend the discourse on this important subject matter,” the letter said.
“The parliament recognizes that it can only undertake these missions in collaboration with the relevant government’s structures on ground… as well as the support in your capacity as the Special Representative of the President of ECOWAS Commission.”
It is this effort ultimately, on the part of the parliament, has been to push for the full implementation and the respect of the principles of the protocol A/P.1/5/79 relating to free movement of persons, residence and establishment and periodically monitor the progress, the letter states.