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ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff to meet in Accra today
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff is set to begin its meeting today, Thursday, August 17, in Accra.
The emergency two-day summit seeks to finalise plans for the deployment of the standby force to Niger. The West African regional bloc revealed its decision to assemble a standby force while working on other diplomatic means to resolve the crisis in Niger.
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. President Mohamed Bazoum was also held captive and is expected to face charges of high treason. ECOWAS had initially given the junta a week’s ultimatum to return the country to constitutional rule or risk military action.
Following the deadline, the regional bloc agreed to create a standby force for the military intervention. 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, on Tuesday, 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.
Credit: Myjoyonline.com
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
Richard Appiah, the footballer who killed two children and stored part of their bodies in a fridge at Abesim in the Bono Region in 2021 has been handed a lifetime sentence.
This was after a five member panel of judges at the Accra High Court returned a verdict of guilty against the convict.
Appiah, 32, also a draughtsman would spend the rest of his life in prison after he was convicted of murder.
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BY MALIK SULLEMANA
