Mallam Yusuf Olaolu Ali, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) has urged Africa businesses to respect the laws of the land.
He said business enterprises must scrupulously abide by all laws and regulations of the country where they operate as they relate to their operations.
“Enterprises should take fully into account established policies in countries in which they operate and consider the views of other stakeholders,” Mallam said this during the commissioning of the head office complex of the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP).
The event, which was also climaxed with a book launch on “Strides and Strains of Civil Society Organisations in West Africa: The WANEP Story”, was chaired by Mr Alain Marcel Da Souza, the ECOWAS Commission President.
In attendance were Dr Sam G. Doe, the first Executive Director and Co-founder of WANEP and Mr Emmanuel H. Bombande, the second Executive Director and Co-founder of WANEP.
Speaking on the topic “The Role of Businesses and Private Citizens in Sustaining Africa Peace and Security”, Mallam Ali said as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility, business enterprises should assume a responsibility to help prevent and mitigate conflict.
He urged businesses to see governments as development partners and to support the diversification of drive for their economies.
Mallam Ali said business enterprises must respect human rights; stating that “This means that they should avoid infringing on the human rights of citizens and should address adverse human rights impact in which they were involved.
“The endemic conflict in the Niger Delta Area of Nigeria has greatly been attributed to massive violations of human rights embodied in both International Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and African Charter by International Oil Companies operating in the region,” he said.
On protection of the environment, Mallam Ali said the protection of the environment and protection of human rights were intertwined. “The protection of the environment is a vital part of contemporary human rights doctrine, for it is a Sine Qua Non for numerous human rights such as the right to health and the right to life itself,” he added.
On combating corruption, Mallam Ali said corruption had since been identified as the primary factor responsible for underdevelopment in Africa; adding that “but inclusive development is a panacea for peace and stability”.
He said businesses and citizens have roles to play in ensuring peace and stability.
“WANEP is a private initiative. Yet, it has achieved so much at preventing and managing conflicts in the West African region for upwards of a decade now. This is not a small achievement,” he said.
Mr Chukwuemeka B. Eze, the Executive Director of WANEP, said with the cooperation of governments, ECOWAS, the African Union, and development partners, WANEP had continued to act as a catalyst in implementing programmes and specific activities that support Africa Peace Agenda.
He said WANEP is a leading Regional Peacebuilding organisation founded in 1998 in response to civil wars that plagued West Africa in the 1990s.
He noted that over the years, WANEP had succeeded in establishing strong national networks in every Member State of ECOWAS with over 500 member organisations across West Africa.
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