The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has started a major project aimed at enhancing citizens’ knowledge and awareness of the Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS) and its relevant protocols and frameworks that mandate member states to be accountable to their citizens.
MFWA revealed in a statement that the project, titled ”Promoting Citizens’ awareness on ECOWAS Protocols and Frameworks on Good Governance and Economic Redistribution”, is being implemented in Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Burkina Faso with funding support from Ibis-Oxfam in Ghana under their Democratic Governance (DEGOWA) program in West Africa.
The sub-regional rights body said the project was designed to highlight the ECOWAS Protocol on Good Governance and Economic Redistribution and promote pro-poor fiscal policies in the target countries.
”It will involve activities such as research on citizens’ awareness of ECOWAS in the four target countries, national-level media forum on ECOWAS for influential journalists, and the setting up of functioning Networks of ECOWAS reporters.”
The statement noted that media organizations in the selected countries would also be supported to produce articles, documentaries and features on ECOWAS and its relevant protocols and frameworks that mandate member states to be accountable to their citizens.
”It is expected that the regular engagements will build the capacities of the ordinary citizens and empower them to raise concerns about good governance-related issues at the national levels and generate debates that will impact on policies of good governance at the regional ECOWAS platform,” it added.
The pilot phase of the project spans from May to December.
