ONLY four of the 15-member countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have readied themselves for adoption of the instrument legally required for effective implementation of the Community Development Programme (CDP) of the sub-region. The CDP, conceived to aid development in member states, is a strategic grassroots framework driven by civil society groups and other partners to ensure greater involvement of the people in collective ownership of the sub-region’s development programmes. But Nigeria, which contributes over 60 per allocations is not one of the compliant countries. The countries are Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Mali and Senegal. Guinea Bissau has been placed on standby and could be added to the list soon. Speaking in Abuja at the opening of the regional meeting of the ECOWAS National Units (NUs) and the National Committees of the CDP, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Human Development and Gender, Dr. Adrienne Diop upbraided what she called the sluggish response of member states to the CDP as reflected in the slow constitution of national CDP committees in the various countries. The CDP initiative was brought on board to translate the strategies of ECOWAS into effective implementation on the ground and thus enable rapid transformation and economic growth. By its definitive Act, each state is expected to constitute national committees to drive the process. As a majority of the countries are yet to institute national committees (instrument of work) with legal backing documents, the commissioner in clear terms told NUs yesterday: “The Commission is strongly bent on the need for member states to take ownership of the process and programmes. You have been invited to come in as the cornerstone of the Community Development Programme. “In your various functions whether public or as non state actors, you can contribute a major link in the community’s development...the people of West Africa are waiting for results.” According to the commissioner, “necessary steps” by member states are needed now in order to move “from a state centric organisation to a people centric one.” The formulation phase of the CDP benefits from the financial support of the community. It also benefits from the technical and financial support of many development partners, including the European Union, GTZ, the German Technical Cooperation and “Pool Fund”, a group of bilateral development partners involved in the funding of various ECOWAS programmes. Nigeria, however, through the Director, ECOWAS Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Babatunde Nurudeen, pledged its commitment to the CDP process. The CDP was initiated by the ECOWAS Commission, under the initiative of the Heads of State and Government, to materialize the Vision 2020, focusing on a participatory and inclusive approach. The initiative aims at creating a synergy in the formulation process and developing a regional strategy for growth by 2020. The National Committees on CDP were therefore established to enable member states effectively play their roles, and give impetus to the formulation, supervision and validation of studies that are devolved to them in the CDP process. There are currently 13 national studies validated out of the 15 expected National Committees on the CDP drawn from three national studies validated in January 2010. The Abuja meeting followed the sensitisation and mobilisation tours on the CDP carried out in the member countries by the commission in 2009, as well as a series of validation sessions on CDP national studies at member states level, held in 2009 and 2010. Source: Guardiannewsngr.com/Nigeria