By Mark Longyen
The Government of Ghana has paid about $82.5 million as its Community Levy contribution to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in 2025, reaffirming its commitment to regional integration and economic cooperation.
MP Dominic Napare, a member of the Ghanaian delegation to the ECOWAS Parliament, disclosed this in a country report presented at the First 2026 Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament in Abuja.
He, however, noted that Ghana still has an outstanding balance of $15.5 million (about GH₵170.69 million) owed to the ECOWAS Commission.
“Ghana is fully committed to ECOWAS integration and the transparent administration of its Community Levy. The country reports total lodgments of GH₵908.53 million for January to October 2025,” he said.
Napare also raised concerns over growing security threats linked to jihadist spillovers from Burkina Faso, Mali and the wider Sahel region, warning of possible escalation along Ghana’s northern borders.
He said Ghana had intensified diplomatic engagement with the three countries following their withdrawal from ECOWAS, including presidential working visits and the appointment of a Special Envoy.
“Islamic militant groups have used parts of northern Ghana for logistical and medical support in connection with Sahel insurgencies, raising concern about potential escalation within Ghana’s borders,” he said.
According to him, Ghana established the National Centre for Coordination of Early Warning and Response Mechanism (NCCRM) in November 2021 under Act 1070 to strengthen independent security monitoring.
The Centre tracks crime, governance and human rights, health and pandemics, socio-economic conditions, and security threats, producing regular reports shared with the ECOWAS Commission.
Napare said Ghana’s democratic system remained stable, with peaceful transitions of power between the National Democratic Congress and the New Patriotic Party over three decades.
He said following the 2024 general elections, with about 60.9 per cent voter turnout from 18.77 million registered voters, Parliament comprises 184 NDC members, 87 NPP members and four independents.
On representation, he noted that women hold about 14.5 per cent of parliamentary seats, while youths account for only 2.5 per cent, in spite of making up 35.9 per cent of the population.
He said the government had enacted the Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Act, 2024, to improve inclusion in governance.
On media freedom, Napare said Ghana ranked 27th out of 180 countries in the 2024 Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index, though economic pressures had contributed to a decline in 2025.
He added that the government had trained security personnel on media rights and pledged accountability for attacks on journalists.
On environmental issues, he said Ghana continued to face severe climate impacts, with flooding affecting about 45,000 people annually.
He also highlighted illegal small-scale mining, known as galamsey, which continues to pollute major rivers including the Pra, Birim, Ankobra and Offin.
“The government relaunched its anti-galamsey campaign in 2025 with security deployments and introduced a Community Mining Scheme to provide legal alternatives for artisanal miners,” he said.
Napare further noted that Ghana has complied with ECOWAS fuel standards, maintaining a maximum sulphur content of 50 parts per million since 2017.
He added that Ghana also became the first country to implement the ECOWAS Roaming Regulation bilaterally in 2023, enabling travellers to pay domestic rates across member states. (NAN) www.nannews.ng
Edited by Tosin Kolade
