ECOWAS Parliament Partners Private Sector To Boost West Africa’s Trade, Integration

The ECOWAS Parliament, the legislative arm of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has partnered with some private sector organisations to boost regional trade, investment and to increase youth participation in the region’s integration process.

Speaker of the Parliament, Memounatou Ibrahima, disclosed this during a press conference at the launch of the ECOWAS Parliament @25 year-long commemorative programme organized by   Duchess Naturals Limited, Borderless Trade and Investment and others, held in Abuja on Thursday.

The Speaker, who was represented by the Director of Political Affairs and Research, Kabeer Garba stressed that engagement with the private sector will create more awareness for the youth to participate in the integration process  to benefit from trade opportunities and innovation across the region.

She pledged the parliament’s commitment to continuously engage citizens adding that the parliament exists to represent the people of the region and proffer solutions irrespective of the challenges facing the region.

“Our greatest strength as an ECOWAS institution is the fact that we represent the people. We provide a voice and conscience for them.

We are supposed to speak on their behalf and defend their interests,” she said.

Chief Executive Officer of Duchess Naturals Limited, Victoria Akai in her remarks, noted that the private sector partnership with the parliament was aimed at deepening regional cooperation and expanding economic opportunities across West Africa.

She pointed out that the ECOWAS Parliament remains a critical partner in advancing regional trade, entrepreneurship, innovation and investment.

“As private sector partners committed to regional economic development, we are proud to support the parliament in delivering a year-long programme of activities across several member states, focused on regional trade and SME development, women’s economic empowerment, youth innovation, civic engagement and cultural heritage,” she said.

In her remarks, Managing Partner of Borderless Trade and Investment, Olori Boye -Ajayi, said the planned activities will focus on youth innovation, trade development and civic engagement across several countries.

According to her  the programme was designed to bring together policymakers, entrepreneurs, innovators and civil society actors from countries including Nigeria, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Cape Verde, Togo and Sierra Leone to deepen regional collaboration and strengthen cross-border economic opportunities.

Team Lead, Global Trade and Structured Finance at Providus Bank, Biodun Ariyo, said the financial institution joined the initiative to strengthen cross-border trade within the region, adding that the platform also offers financial institutions the opportunity to expand their reach and support businesses operating across borders within the ECOWAS region.

In a related development, the Chief Communication Officer of the ECOWAS Parliament, Uche Duru-Nwaotule said the programmes when fully implemented will bridge the gap between the institution and citizens adding that this will boost awareness of ECOWAS and its parliament in their efforts to reach ordinary citizens across West Africa.