Hon. Taa Z. Wongbe urges West African leaders to refocus on trade integration, as border bottlenecks continue to stifle free movement.
A member of the Liberian delegation to the sixth ECOWAS Parliament, Hon. Taa Z. Wongbe, has expressed disappointment that the sub-regional bloc has drifted from the economic integration envisioned by its founding fathers.
Speaking on the sidelines of the delocalised parliamentary meeting in Cotonou, Benin—which concludes today—Wongbe said the founders, many of whom were military leaders and not democrats, were united in their belief that economic cooperation would deliver tangible benefits to West African citizens. That dream, he argued, remains largely unfulfilled.
“The founding fathers knew that pushing economic integration would bring a lot of good to ECOWAS citizens,” Wongbe said. “But today, political affairs have taken over what was meant to be an economic bloc.”
His remarks follow a field visit during the meeting, which revealed that traders across the region still struggle to move goods between member states, while exporting to Western countries is comparatively easier.
“Free movement of goods and services would create a booming economy. Why are we killing their vision? Why can’t we ensure it works? It was economic before political, but now it has turned into a political body. We need to change that—we have to get back to our roots,” he emphasised.
Wongbe called for concrete action to remove bottlenecks at borders, noting that even transporting goods from Benin to Ivory Coast takes an unnecessarily long time. “That is not what the ECOWAS protocol on free movement says. If we solve that, we solve many challenges,” he said.
The MP also voiced frustration with the format of parliamentary engagements. “Sometimes I get frustrated when we come here, we talk as MPs—let’s get into our vehicles, go to the borders, and experience what our sisters, brothers, and mothers go through. Will that change anything? Maybe, but we need to do something different.”
He proposed that each member state’s parliament take concrete steps to address policy issues, and that border officials—who collect revenues—must be held accountable. “We should also look at those we put at the border, where the money is collected. Why are we not ensuring free movement?”
Wongbe warned that without follow‑through, the meetings are a waste of taxpayers’ money. “More action—you cannot come for a meeting and see no action. Let’s see what happens when we write our report and resolutions. If there is no action, then we should not be coming for these delocalised meetings, spending taxpayers’ money.”
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso /Ecowasnewsonlinegh.com
