Crises: ECOWAS Parliament calls for reforms

The Speaker of the Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Rt. Hon. Memounatou Ibrahima has called for reforms in West Africa to tackle the myriad of crises affecting the region.

The Speaker said this while giving her remarks at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Third Extra-Ordinary Session and Second Parliamentary Seminar of the regional legislature, in Lome, Togo on Tuesday.

She stressed that one of the main areas of focus for the session is budgetary provisions to address the problems within the sub-region.

Hon. Ibrahima said: “Our region is ravaged by floods, terrorism, violent extremism and irregular migration that have affected thousands of our citizens. ECOWAS of 50 years must speed up reforms to consolidate the principles of democracy and good governance to drive the vision of the founding fathers.”

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ECOWAS will mark its 50th anniversary in 2025 as a bloc formed on May 28, 1975, in Lagos Nigeria to promote economic cooperation among member states to raise living standards and promote economic development.

ECOWAS has also worked to address some security issues by developing a peacekeeping force for conflicts in the region.

But in recent times the sub-regional bloc has faced enormous economic and security challenges including the vexed issue of the irregular migration of its youth away from the region in search of better opportunities often at great risk to their lives across the deserts of North Africa and the deadly Mediterranean Sea.

The Speaker said further that the session will allow the regional legislature to consider and adopt its budget for 2025-2027 to give it a clear-cut financial roadmap with “pragmatic measures” to address these challenges for the peace, stability, solidarity and progress of West Africa.

The session will also examine the level of implementation of the Parliament’s 2023 budget as well as the mid-term budget for the 2024 financial year to ensure that it aligns with the region’s development goals.

In his goodwill message, the President of the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), Dr George Agyekum Donkor, said it is imperative to strengthen infrastructure and investment priorities in West Africa to unlock the opportunities in the region and make the economies of member countries more competitive even as he called for equitable distribution of economic opportunities for all citizens.

Represented by the Director, Department of Research and Strategic Planning, MacDonald Saye Goanue, the EBID president said the ECOWAS Parliament is a vital institution to facilitate dialogue and promote peace and stability towards achieving the objectives of the region.

He pointed out the need for ECOWAS institutions to prioritize regional cooperation to boost investments and ensure equitable distribution of the benefits.