THEME: THE DIVINE MANDATE FOR REGIONAL INTEGRATION AND RESOURCE SOVEREIGNTY 

I salute the Governments, Chiefs, and People of West Africa in the name of the Most High God, Creator of heaven and earth, Provider, Sustainer, Supreme and Sovereign King over nature, creation, and the entire universe. I bring glad tidings of Hope, Joy, and Glory from the Lord God Most High to the people of West Africa. The message we bring concerns Economic Development and Social Advancement, the Well-being and Welfare of the People, Progress, Prosperity, and Glory of the nations of West Africa.  

Thus says the Lord God: “ECOWAS IS THE DOOR of HOPE and GLORY FOR WEST AFRICA.” Let the nations and people of West Africa seek to establish Economic and Social Integration as a first and critical step towards; the politico-economic development and socio-cultural advancement and well-being of people as well as the security, sovereignty and glory of the nations of West Africa. 

That accepted ECOWAS can serve as a great and mighty door to re-route, direct and control Economic Development and Social Advancement in an integrated and coordinated manner.  In this respect, economic development, industry trade, and commerce can be viewed and determined in an integrated, coordinated, and comparative advantage approach.  Investment, industrial production. and market possibilities in an ECOWAS setting will command greater prospects and better social impact than individual national development agenda can offer. 

INTEGRATED WEST AFRICAN ECONOMY 

For example, investment in oil and gas can be developed through integrated regional, national, and private corporate investment approach. National governments, regional bodies such as banks and private investors can join forces to invest in oil exploration, extraction, infrastructure, and industrial development.  Production and distribution can be determined, structured, and laid out from ECOWAS regional development, market possibilities and social advancement perspective. 

In this respect, says the Lord, the greatest hindrance to ECOWAS politico-economic development, social advancement, and people’s well-being is politics and governance in the sub-region. 

As matters stand now, the politicians, governments, and public servants in West Africa view their engagement in politics and governance, business and national affairs from personal advantage and gain perspective, and not on regional development and people’s advancement perspective.  People seek for and obtain power for their own good largely. Thus, whatever means by which political power is gained, whether by political party or military, tribal or ethnic, religious or other door, the general motivation and pre-occupation is gain for self and group, and family at best.  Group here does not refer to political party, the Armed Forces power or ethnic support base. It refers but to a few individuals who plan, invest in, and strategize for power. Instruments of media, finance, and public service, professional and religious people and civic society engaged in the race for political power and end up only with political patronage and reward.  The bulk and chunk of gain is reserved for the few. 

It is not surprising therefore that politicians and military officers who gain power easily become fabulously rich, wielding both political and economic power and social status only in a few months.  They tend to command social and cultural status. They do not have to work, wait and merit it.  They order and command adoration.  

It is obvious in this regard that the political power gate in West Africa—oriented as it is towards personal fortune and fame—can and does easily fall prey to manipulation by foreign interests, foreign nations, foreign corporate entities, as well as international bodies. The interests of these foreign elements are by and large parochial—namely for the benefit of themselves, their nations, and their own people and not for the nations and people of engagement.  European, American, and Asian support of politics and governance in Africa always carries a price tag.  Our leaders do not seem to care.   

It is here, therefore, that broad-based ECOWAS regional, political, financial, and technocrat negotiations will abate, if not eliminate, the private, personal fortune-oriented deals by politicians and their agents.  It goes without saying therefore that oil and gas production and distribution and connected petro-chemical and related industries designed mainly for the West African market as a base before continental and international markets—will have a great impact not alone on development and growth of industry, commerce, and employment, and progress with education, professional skills and all. It will also assist with social advancement of the people and the peace, security, and sovereignty of the West African nations. 

RELIGION AND DEVELOPMENT IN WEST AFRICA 

According to the Lord, ECOWAS approach in politico-economic development and social advancement will demand fresh examination and re-orientation of Religion and Development in West Africa. This is necessary to free it from foreign imperial subscription, manipulation and control. For example, Christian faith and Church mission in West Africa must be approached not only through proper preaching, teaching, and discipling based on truth of scripture and the worship and service of God in spirit and truth, but also from the angle of the role and contribution of religion towards peace, righteousness, justice and liberty, the well-being, welfare and life security of the West Africa peoples as well as the politico-economic development and socio-cultural advancement, progress, and prosperity of the West African nations and peoples united under One God and His Kingdom on earth. 

What the Christian Church, Islam, and other religions in West Africa can and must avoid is foreign directives, initiatives, patronage, and control by Christian churches, Islamic groups, and others, their theologians and missionaries desirous of enlisting and integrating local units in West Africa on to foreign and global expeditions. They must not be allowed to turn West Africa into a political, economic, cultural, and religious war zone. For example, the Church in America and Europe cannot and must not be allowed to seek to enlist, dictate to, or direct the Church in West Africa towards foreign political-economic and socio-cultural agenda. There is no gainsaying the fact that Church leaders and ministers engaged in this practice easily fall prey to foreign manipulations and, indeed, satanic and anti-Christ movements. There are similar situations with Islamic groups in West Africa.  

True global unity of faith can be attained through proper teaching, discipling, and exhortation on the truth—free from foreign manipulation and domination. The Local church or group has, and must have, the liberty to seek the good of the land direct from THE GOD BEING WORSHIPPED. 

ABROGATE AGREEMENTS ON MINERAL WEALTH IN GHANA 

The third message from the Most High God is that the mineral wealth and resources endowed with small Ghana—the silver, gold, and diamonds, as well as the rich oil, gas, and other resources—are for the development, benefit, and blessing of the entire nation and not a section and/or group of the nation. Therefore, the exploration, exploitation, development, distribution of benefits and use of the rich oil of the country should not be subject to political expediency, nor for that matter political party government agenda as such. 

To ensure this, the Lord has decreed that the agreements signed on the oil of the country should be abrogated, otherwise the nation stands the risk of the sealing of the earth and stoppage of the flow of the oil from the bowels of the earth by Him the Most High God. 

May God raise and direct new leadership for the West African nations who will buy into and champion the ECOWAS vision. God bless the ECOWAS nations and people. Amen and Amen! 

March 19, 2013 

(Published Friday, April 05, 2013 pg. 3 of The Ghanaian Observer)