The Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has ended its 2025 first Ordinary Session in Abuja on Saturday with resolve for more integration, tackling insecurity and improving strategies for economic development.
Speaker of the Parliament, Rt Hon. Memounatou Ibrahima, in her closing remarks, said the robust participation of major stakeholders during the session is s “testament of our collective engagement as a people committed to comprehensive development of our region, ” adding that the “ECOWAS Parliament plays a key role in the strategic policy development of our people.”
During Saturday’s session, President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Touray, while presenting the Community Reports said that it is illegal for member countries to collect the community levies without remitting it to the regional bloc and called on defaulting countries to pay up.
The Community levy is a 0.5% tax imposed on goods from non-ECOWAS Member States. It constitutes between 70 and 90% of the ECOWAS budget, yet some member countries default and may face an impending penalty as suggested by some parliamentarians during the session.
One of the most disturbing issues that featured prominently during the session was the vexed issue of insecurity ravaging the region and parts of Sahel, especially the threats of terrorism and violent extremism, perpetrated by Boko Haram, Ansaru, ISWAP and others.
During her submission, a member of Parliament Dr Zainab Gimba from Nigeria, warned that if these threats are not halted, the entire region could face increasing deaths and destruction, even as she called for more funding for the Multinational Joint Task Force to tackle the matter urgently.
She said, “It is with a deep sense of urgency and commitment to regional peace and stability that I rise under Rule 87 of our Rules of Procedure to address this august House on a matter of grave concern to Nigeria, my country, West Africa and the Sahel.
She revealed that the terrorists now use advanced, sophisticated weapons and ammunition (drones, chemical agents, among others) that are capable of penetrating armoured vehicles and igniting previously impenetrable metals.
Gimba, therefore, made a motion seeking a parliamentary resolution compelling ECOWAS member states to improve the funding of the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad basin.
Another robust participation came from Orlando Diaz Pereira from Capo Verde, who insisted that for the region to take great advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area (ACfTA) the region must tackle the lingering question of poverty and improve the not too impressive economic indicators in the region.
The leader of the Capo Verde Delegation to the regional parliament tasked ECOWAS to mobilize resources to industrialize the region, stressing that “no free trade will be useful without industrialization”.
“We are rich in natural resources; therefore we must process our raw materials into finished goods to add value to them, through technology and innovation. That way our economies will become more competitive. We must invest in pharmaceuticals, textiles and process our cocoa into chocolate and this applies to our gold and other minerals”, he said.
On the lingering issue of the exit of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, the regional bloc had made rigorous efforts to woo the three countries back to the fold to no avail. The President of the ECOWAS Commission has made some diplomatic visits to Bamako, Mali to meet the foreign Ministers of the three countries.
But while discussions are ongoing, Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, advised stakeholders to pay less attention to the exit of the three countries from ECOWAS, stressing that focus should be on economic development.
The Minister, who received a delegation from the ECOWAS Parliament led by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Memounatou Ibrahima, in his office in Abuja on Friday, as part of the bilateral partnership to strengthen democracy, said the region cannot afford to look back.
According to the Minister, who is also the Chair of ECOWAS Council of Ministers, the region should focus on how to develop critical sectors with policies and programmes such as the West African Power Pool, ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation scheme, Abidjan- Lagos corridor, Abidjan –Dakar corridor and others that will enhance development of the region.
Tuggar however, expressed optimism that the three Sahel countries that pulled out following disagreements with ECOWAS over military coups, will soon see reasons to return to the regional bloc.
He said “We will continue to work hard towards the success of ECOWAS and the success of the member- states will encourage the countries to come back. As we keep saying we have not closed the door on their return, we are confident that they will return because they are part and parcel of the region. It is just a matter of time.”
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