Welcome Address by Dr. Usman Bugaje Chairman House Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives National Assembly, Abuja, Nigeria, at the Conference Of Parliamentarians of Ecowas Member States, 6th T0 8th December 2004, at Ladi Kwali Conference Centre Sheraton Hotel & Towers Abuja, Nigeria. I am most delighted to welcome you to the first conference of parliamentarians of ECOWAS member states on the important issue of regional integration. Regional integration has been one of the major features of world politics in the last half of the twentieth century. In a way it has anticipated globalisation. Globalisation, however, has compelled its rationale, emphasised its goals and accentuated the exigencies of regional integration. Regional integration of the West African sub-region is in point of fact not a novel idea for throughout history, the region has been constantly in touch with itself and peoples of the region had moved from one end to the other, settling and sharing cultures, values, languages etc. What may be novel, however, are the modern demands of integration especially in the area of security, trade and culture. This has necessitated, not only the putting of heads together to address the common menace of desertification, the scourge of HIV/AIDS, perennial conflicts; but new trade policies and agreements that can guarantee a good deal for the region in a world that is increasingly becoming competitive.    From the inception of ECOWAS in 1975, some remarkable successes have been registered. These include:   -          free movement of ECOWAS citizens; -          remarkable growth in intra community trade; -          trade liberalisation scheme; -          establishment of the West African monetary Institute; -          greater cooperation in Security and conflict mediation and resolution; -          establishment of ECOWAS Parliament; and -          establishment of the ECOWAS Court of Justice. Although so much has been achieved, there is still much that remains to be done. There remain several challenges that must be urgently addressed in order to advance the integration project under ECOWAS. The idea of this conference, therefore, is to involve the parliamentarians of the national parliaments of the ECOWAS member states so that parliamentarians can now be brought on board this process of integration. The involvement of parliamentarians will throw the weight of national parliaments behind this important process. This should add vigour as well as bring rigour to the process and procedures and should facilitate the domestication and ratification of the treaties in this important area. This conference should also explore new avenues that have direct bearing on the process at the popular level. The process of integration is not simply a legal process characterised by treaties ratified and domesticated. As many of us know, it takes a lot more than laws to integrate because we are dealing with human beings with all their complexities. In point of fact the law should come as a seal to a process which is already up and alive. This means that integration must be people driven if it is to survive and thrive. It is also important to point out that this conference has gone beyond the major issues, that have rightly occupied ECOWAS, like security and trade to include culture and environment. These two dimensions of the integration process have so far not been given the attention they deserve. Yet these are crucial in providing a strong basis of people-to-people integration and of sustainable human development in the region. The benefits of ECOWAS in a globalised world are not only for the participating states who will undoubtedly benefit from the joint security, trade, mobility of labour, etc. But our neighbours in North Africa and beyond including members of the European Union also stand to benefit. The world is increasingly becoming a single ship in which nations float or sink. The success of ECOMOG in containing and curtailing conflict has demonstrated what regional integration can do in the field of security. If these conflicts have spilled out of control their waves may have hit the shores of North Africa and Europe. It would automatically deny Europe, United States, China the market and source of raw materials including crude oil that they require to keep their industries working and their workers happy. Such is the world we live in today. This sub-region has to work closely with its development partners to ensure that the ship of the world or the global village called planet Earth is safe and secure. It is important that our development partners appreciate the need to do the right thing at the right time. As the Economist of London had cause to alert us, a small effort at prevention is better than monumental effort when disaster strikes, citing the less than U.S. $50.0 million the U.S.A. contributed to fighting AIDS in Africa in the past decade. With 20 million Africans dead and another 30 million infected, the U.S.A. is now committing $3.0 billion annually to fight the pandemic. It is an old adage that says prevention is better than cure or as many of us learnt in our early school days "a stitch in time saves nine." If we can work together and anticipate our problems, we can certainly float and even thrive together. This spirit of cooperation and appreciation of the future is all we need to keep afloat and steer away from trouble spots. We need cooperation at every level and this conference is a demonstration on one such cooperation between the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, the House Committees on Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and Integration in Africa. I should, perhaps, not end this speech therefore without thanking our partners, FES, and we believe this is a beginning for there are, indeed, enough reasons to continue to do more. It is my hope that this conference does reveal other areas that require our attention and will give birth to more such fora. May I once again thank you all, but particularly my colleagues in the parliaments of West African States and wish you fruitful deliberations during this conference and a very happy stay in Abuja. I thank you for listening.