A think tank, West African Think Tank Network (WATTNet) has been launched.
The West African Think Tank Network (WATTNet) is a network of think tanks in West Africa established in September 2015 with the goal of promoting socio-economic and political development in the sub-region.
An official launch of WATTNet was launched at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel in Accra on Tuesday under the theme “Transforming West Africa for Inclusive Development”.
WATTNet seeks to establish a viable sub-regional platform which will enable sustained collaboration among research institutions and think tanks in the region.
The goal of WATTNet is to generate quality evidence and knowledge on economic, social and political issues that will feed into national and regional policy information.
Delivering a keynote speech at the function, Ex-President John Agyekum Kufour called on African leaders to unite and put the right structures in place to promote the integration of Africa.
“It seems even as the leadership of West Africa talk the need for the economic community, that also the political and social community of West Africa; even as we talk it, there’s a lack of commitment. Lack of resolution on the part of the leaders who should be driving this mission to get all of West Africa to become a common unit for economic and social development to better the lives of our peoples, that commitment is not there.
“And so the first thing is for those of us committed to influence and also motivate the drive for the realization of West Africa as a unit, how to influence leadership across political and ideological divisions. We shouldn’t pretend West Africa is a uniform and homogenous entity. It’s not…but it should be for think tanks and the people who see the advantage of West Africa unifying to do everything they can to get leadership to show sincerity and commitment towards realizing the ECOWAS vision.”
He further advised the gathering to show the spirit of Africanism in order to cherish their roots, saying “through history, we can do it but you can do it only with education. Let the people get to know through the formal and informal education in our schools that truly we share common ancestry. And then we should also exploit the electronic age technologies…We want to know the world generally but we must know our immediate world which is West Africa.”
The official launch of WATTNet was done under the auspices of the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA).
Present at the function were His Excellency John Agyekum Kufour, Former President of the Republic of Ghana, Mr. Kalilou Traore, ECOWAS Commissioner for Industry and Private Sector, Dr. Coulibaly Aly Diadjiry, Director of the Center of Strategic Programming and Research, Dr. Coffi Noumon, Director of Operation of the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF), Prof Takyiwaa Manuh, Director, Social Development and Policy Division of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Ms. Marie-Laurie Akin-Olugbade of African Development Bank (AFDB) among other dignitaries. |
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