A five-day programme entitled: Get to Know ECOWAS is to hold from May 30^th to the 3^rd of June 2016 in Abuja. It would train participants on the role of journalists in advancing the concept of an ECOWAS of the people among others.

The training which is being organized by the Friedrich- Ebert –Stiftung, Nigeria in collaboration with the ECOWAS Commission, seeks to draw attention to ECOWAS as one of the socio-political regional success stories on the African continent and beyond standing side by side with other initiatives such as the Andean Pact, Mercosur and South Asian Community of States.

By the reckoning of observers, ECOWAS has made commendable strides on the African continent which also features regional organisations such as Southern African Development Community (SADC), Inter-governmental Authority for Development(IGAD), Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and the East African Community (EAC).

Some of the milestones accomplished by ECOWAS in this regard include: Common ECOWAS passport, free movement of goods, persons and services, Common External Tariff (CET), Creation of institutional reforms resulting in the emergence of a stable Commission, community Parliament and Court of justice. There is also the taking up of specialised Community services and monitoring of risks and security (Early warning system), Elections monitoring, and health initiatives such as the successful fight against the scourge of Ebola virus, etc.

In view of this, the focus of the training workshop on the role of journalists in the ECOWAS processes is advantageous in order to further popularize ECOWAS operations and programmes and have well informed and engaged ECOWAS citizens by the year 2055.

This will also synergistically bring about a robust relationship between the media, the citizens and those saddled with the responsibility of running the affairs of the regional body.

The training programme seeks to make many more citizens of West Africa and the world at large to have full information on the achievements recorded by ECOWAS in its 41 years of existence as well as its development projects and positive programmes that are slowly transforming the West African region.

Specific thematic areas of focus during the sessions would include: The role of ECOWAS in Ensuring Peace and Stability in West Africa, ICT as a Means of Integrating Peoples across West Africa, Breaking Barriers through Free Movement of Persons and Goods and CET as a Catalyst for Trade Liberalization in West African Region.

Others are: The Story of our Founding Fathers and Establishment of Progressive Regional Body, The Role of Communication Directorate in Creating Awareness Amongst the Citizens of The ECOWAS Community and the Role of the Social Media in advancing the cause of Democracy and Good Governance in West African Region- the Nigerian Example

Through paper presentations, group work and discussions on themes such as Understanding ECOWAS and its Challenges, it is hoped that the exchange of ideas and knowledge would trigger valuable suggestions bringing about the desirable learning curves necessary for the attainment of the lofty goals of the regional community including the formulation of more practical ways of addressing some of the issues like citizens support and ownership of programmes.