The coalition will also promote transparency and good governance through the fight against corruption.
A group of civil society organisations has formed a coalition, Advocacy Coalition of West Africa (WACOWA), for the promotion of whistleblowing as a tool for fighting corruption in the member countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
The coalition will also promote transparency and good governance through the fight against corruption.
Members of the coalition include African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL);
Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD); Civic Media Lab; Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC);
Human and Environment Development Agenda (HEDA);
MILID Foundation and Order Paper.ng.
Others are Progressive Impact Organisation for Community Development (PRIMORG); Social Development Integrated Centre (Social Action); Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP); Tap iNitiative; Transparency International (TI) – Nigeria; and 21st Century Community for Youth Empowerment and Women Initiative.
A statement made available to SaharaReporters on Sunday in Abuja, signed by member organisations was titled "CSOs form sub-regional coalition to promote whistleblowing in ECOWAS member states".
The coalition explained that the move was the outcome of a consultative meeting organised by the African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL) and civil society partners following exploratory talks with the ECOWAS Commission and the Network of Anti-corruption Institutions in West Africa (NACIWA) on strengthening the fight against corruption in West Africa.
The coalition identified corruption as one of the major challenges facing West African states since independence, and that its pervasiveness in the sub-region makes it seem intractable.
It read, "Among the many damaging impacts of corruption over the decades are mass poverty, high-level unemployment, disregard for law and order, lack of trust in government and rising political instability resulting in the destruction of lives and property.
"Although, most ECOWAS member states have passed anti-corruption laws, ratified international conventions against corruption and established special national anti-corruption institutions, a few others have yet to do so. Still, despite these efforts, tackling corruption in the region has not yielded the desired result.
"The integrity of government and level of corruption are rated more poorly in West and East Africa than in other regions on the continent, as pointed out by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in one of its reports issued in 2005."
It added, "Even Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index (CPI) has over the years expressed similar sentiments by indicating that ECOWAS countries have excessively higher levels of corruption than countries in other regions.
"A key feature in the ECOWAS Commission’s protocol to combat corruption in the region is the ECOWAS Whistleblower Protection Strategy. The Commission identifies whistleblowing as one of the most direct methods of exposing corrupt acts which has the capacity to foster transparency and accountability in both the public and private sector administration."
The coalition further explained that the key objective of this strategy, "is to encourage member states to pass whistleblowing legislation that is safe for making disclosure of wrongdoing and ensuring protection against retaliation because of such disclosure.
"WACOWA’s objective is to complement the Commission’s efforts in this regard by promoting whistleblowing as an accountability tool and strengthening commitment to the development of a whistleblower protection law in member states.
"It will collate reported cases to aid the work of anti-corruption agencies, seek new partners that will participate in the objectives of the advocacy and create solutions that will serve the needs of the communities.
"The coalition promises a fervent commitment to the promotion of transparent and accountable governance in ECOWAS countries by advocating whistleblowing as a conscious and obligatory action of citizens as a way of reducing corruption and aiding development in their communities."