1. “The Accidental Ecowas & AU Citizen”:
Here are 6 ways the Ghanaian media can Help
Promote an ECOWAS Community
By E.K.Bensah Jr
Allow me to be blunt: ECOWAS has over the years paid considerable lip-service to outreach and an
ECOWAS of the people—instead of the States—yet continues to falter in this respect. Despite its
ECOWAS Vision2020 and its so-called National Units, suffice-to-say, ECOWAS needs to get really serious
on speaking to West African community citizens. Regrettably, my Ghanaian colleagues in the media have
not really cottoned onto promoting ECOWAS – and I do not really blame them, as ECOWAS does not
seem to be making it very interesting to report ECOWAS. So, here are five constructive ways media
practitioners can take cue.
First, they should learn from others, such as the East African Community. Out of all the AU-recognised
regional economic communities, the EAC seems to be one of those that have made tremendous efforts
in promoting the regional organisation that is the EAC. One effective way it does is through its “East
African Business” magazine on http://www.busiweek.com/11/. A quick snapshot reveals a site that
showcases stories on the five members of the REC, which include the following “tabs”: “TheEACIssues”;
“PopularRegionalHeadlines”; WeatherForecast; “News Highlights”. Under the regional headlines, it lists
member countries of the community (Rwanda; Burundi; Kenya; Uganda; Tanzania) enabling one to see
what the latest stories are for these member countries..
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2. Second, media practitioners can and must establish news sites that feature stories of all fifteen
member states, including the very-needed francophone countries. Ghana is an Anglophone island
surrounded by the francophone countries of Togo, Cote d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso. Much of the time,
however, news about these countries is treated like “international”, as if they are so foreign to us. The
tab could be divided into UEMOA countries(francophone ECOWAS that also belong to the 1994established UEMOA), and WAMZ countries, which include Ghana; Guinea; Gambia; Nigeria; Liberia;
Sierra Leone Anglophone countries seeking to establish the “Eco”.
Third, more attention must be given to the emulation and establishment of business magazines like
“African Business” and “New African” that report exclusively on Africa in ways that often lend
themselves to the regional economic communities.
Fourth, Tv3, TV Africa and Metro TV must lead the way—in fact, they ought to have blazed the trail--on
reporting news about ECOWAS. When you couple their history in the broadcasting/media industry with
their award-winning journalists, one has an interesting mix to capitalize on reporting the sub-region in a
way that is a far departure from the way the West reports Africa and the sub-region.
Both TV3 and METRO TV’s websites on www.tv3.com.gh and www.metroworld.tv respectively, are
uninspiring in terms of the way they report news. TV3 has no section on “Africa” – let alone the subregion. Metro TV has focused a lot on a graphic and picture-intensive site, at the expense of reporting its
typically-insightful news. Conversely, kudos must go to TV Africa, which has on its main page “other
headline stories” a section on “Africa”.
Fifth, if funds need to be raised by the media houses to hire in-situ or permanent English translators, or
staff with knowledge of French as well, it must be done so that material in French from our francophone
ECOWAS countries on developments in the sub-region can quickly be translated for inclusion in news.
Finally, Daily Graphic must show leadership as a paper which has dominance in the Ghanaian media
landscape to report frequently and regularly on ECOWAS. This should start off with reporters joining
hands with the equally-capable GNA to actually write—instead of cull—stories from BBC/Al Jazeera/CNN
on Africa. The “Inside Africa” column is this side short of dull. It needs to be beefed up to report both
headline and regular stories from francophone ECOWAS countries as well.
This list is far from exhaustive, but I believe that without a targeted communications strategy by media
houses on reporting the sub-region, we will never feel fulfilled as ECOWAS Community citizens in the
way Europeans can boast of an “European” identity. Whether we like it or not, the regional economic
communities are realities, which all of us must join hands to ensure it benefits us as citizens.
In 2009, in his capacity as a “Do More Talk Less Ambassador” of the 42 nd Generation—an NGO that promotes and discusses PanAfricanism--Emmanuel gave a series of lectures on the role of ECOWAS and the AU in facilitating a Pan-African identity. Emmanuel
owns "Critiquing Regionalism" (http://www.critiquing-regionalism.org). Established in 2004 as an initiative to respond to
the dearth of knowledge on global regional integration initiatives worldwide, this non-profit blog features regional integration initiatives
on MERCOSUR/EU/Africa/Asia and many others. You can reach him on ekbensah@ekbensah.net / Mobile: 0268.687.653.
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