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Niger: Foreigners’ safety would be at risk should ECOWAS employ military force – Seidu Abudu
President of the Ghanaian community in Niger, Seidu Abudu, has revealed that any plans ECOWAS has of using military intervention to address the crisis in the country may pose a risk to foreigners.
Speaking on PM Express on JoyNews, he stated that there has been a widely shared video in Niger where some people are threatening to attack foreigners should the regional bloc approve of a military force in its attempt to restore constitutional rule.
Mr Abudu noted that he does not believe that ECOWAS will use military force, putting the lives of their citizens at risk. “All the ECOWAS countries have foreigners here, so if they use force, what about their citizens here? It is going to be a problem, it is not going to help at all.
We foreigners who are living here already, we have seen one video, they said that if ECOWAS makes any one move, they are going to attack foreigners and that one is for sure,” he noted.
Mr Abudu added that “so, they (ECOWAS) have to be very careful about the move they want to make because they are going to attack foreigners in this country.
They are not going to allow foreigners to live in this country as ECOWAS is going to use force, so they have to be very careful.
” This follows the West African regional bloc’s decision to assemble a standby force while working on other diplomatic means to resolve the crisis in Niger.
Already some countries including Ivory Coast have agreed to provide troops for the force. However, some leaders of countries like Nigeria and Ghana are facing criticisms from the opposition who do not approve of the use of a military intervention.
Reacting to ECOWAS’ decision to assemble a force, security analyst Rtd Colonel Festus Aboagye said that the bloc may take a while to deploy a military force to Niger in its attempt to restore constitutional rule. He explained that a standby force relies on contributions from member states adding that some countries do not have enough troops or assets to provide.
Meanwhile, since the inception of the coup, Mr Abudu said that Ghanaians living in the now military run state are safe adding there has so far been no threat on anyone.
“Right now Niger is calm, there hasn’t been any fear, and everything is normal, we have some Ghanaians here, roughly 400 to 500 people.
So we are trying as a community…our main duty is to protect Ghanaians living here, so we are engaging the Ghana embassy here,” he stated.
Soldiers in the West African country of Niger announced a coup on national TV, on July 27. They said they had dissolved the constitution, suspended all institutions and closed the nation’s borders.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
Ghana Tourism Authority is leading Ghana’s participation at ITB Berlin, which opened in Berlin with a vibrant national pavilion highlighting Ghana’s rich cultural heritage, tourism destinations and investment opportunities.
March 5 has been designated as Ghana Day, a special platform to promote Ghana’s languages, cuisine, Kente, festivals and business prospects to the global tourism community. The stand has already drawn strong interest with traditional arts and crafts displays, immersive multimedia presentations and popular Ghanaian snacks.
Seven private-sector players are exhibiting alongside government officials as part of efforts to deepen trade partnerships, expand market access, and attract investment across the hospitality, heritage tourism, ecotourism, and creative arts sectors.
Ahead of the official opening, the Ghana delegation also engaged young Ghanaian investors in Germany in collaboration with V Afrika-Verein and the Ghana Embassy, strengthening diaspora investment linkages and highlighting opportunities within the tourism value chain.
Ghana’s coordinated presence at ITB Berlin 2026 reinforces its strategy to position the country as the Gateway to Africa and a competitive destination for leisure travel and global investment.
The Member of Parliament for Nsawam Adoagyiri, Frank Annoh Dompreh, has expressed concern over delays in the release of the District Assemblies Common Fund, warning that the situation is stalling development across the country.
On his facebook page, he described as a matter of urgent national importance, the Minority Chief Whip pointed to what he sees as a growing crisis of unpaid contractors, abandoned projects, and halted infrastructure works in many districts.
He noted that several communities are grappling with half completed schools, unfinished health facilities, abandoned markets, deteriorating roads, and stalled sanitation projects.
According to him, many contractors who have executed projects for district assemblies have not been paid, forcing some construction firms to demobilise from sites while workers lose their jobs.
He stressed that the District Assemblies Common Fund is not a discretionary allocation but a constitutional requirement under Article 252 of the 1992 Constitution, intended to support development at the local level.
In his view, years of delayed releases and accumulated arrears have weakened district development financing and disrupted projects meant to improve living conditions in communities.
He further argued that some payments made in recent years were largely the settlement of old debts rather than funding for new or ongoing projects, a situation he believes has affected contractor confidence and local economic activity.
He described the issue as more than a budgetary challenge, characterising it as a development emergency and a governance concern.
He therefore urged the appropriate authorities to pay outstanding DACF arrears, settle contractors who have completed their work, and ensure that transfers to districts are automatic and predictable.
He maintained that decentralisation can only succeed when district assemblies receive adequate and timely funding to carry out development projects.
He emphasised that stalled projects directly affect ordinary citizens, since they rely on such infrastructure for education, healthcare, transportation, sanitation, and economic activities.
He called for renewed attention to grassroots development, insisting that national progress should not be concentrated only in major cities but extended to all communities.
By: Jacob Aggrey
