Nigeria, Benin Republic Collaborate On Strengthening Democracy In West Africa

Nigeria and the Benin Republic have renewed their partnership to deepen parliamentary cooperation and democratic consolidation in the West African subregion.

This is just as Nigeria‘s National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Nigeria, and the Parliamentary Institute of Benin (IPaB) held a workshop on implementing their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Cotonou yesterday.

In his remarks, the director general of NILDS, Professor Abubakar Sulaiman, described the workshop as a milestone in the region‘s shared journey of institutional cooperation and parliamentary development.

According to him, the workshop aimed at developing, validating and adopting a three-year work plan to guide the actualisation of the MoU signed between the two institutions in November 2024 in Abuja.
Sulaiman expressed gratitude to the National Assembly of Benin and IPaB’s leadership for their hospitality, particularly singling out IPaB director, Dr Sèdami Medegan Fagla, for her leadership and commitment to the partnership.

“The scope and ambition of this collaboration speak directly to the pressing need to strengthen legislative institutions across our sub-region…build capacity, foster democratic resilience, and contribute to peace, development, and regional integration through knowledge exchange and institutional synergy.

“Together, we can contribute meaningfully to strengthening democratic governance, not only in our respective countries but across the ECOWAS sub-region,” he said.

Sulaiman emphasised the importance of aligning the proposed work plan with the evolving needs of both countries’ legislatures and the expectations of the citizens they serve.

He called for joint research, training, legislative support, and parliamentary diplomacy programmes. NILDS was fully committed to implementing the MoU through staff exchanges, technical assistance, joint publications, and policy dialogue.

For her part, the Director of IPaB, Medegan-Fagla, said the workshop was the culmination of sustained collaborative efforts dating back to January 2025, following the Beninese Parliamentary Council’s recommendation to expedite the implementation of the bilateral MoU.

“This MoU is not just a formal agreement. It represents a shared commitment to supporting our parliaments through research, training, and institutional capacity building. In the long run, our partnership has the potential to positively impact governance in both our countries,” Fagla said.

She also acknowledged the pivotal role played by the president of the National Assembly of Benin, the IPaB Orientation Council, and members of the parliamentary administration in making the workshop a success.

Fagla expressed confidence that the workshop would foster productive dialogue and practical outcomes, contributing meaningfully to the mission of both institutes in strengthening legislative performance and good governance in West Africa.

The workshop provided a forum for robust exchanges between senior staff of NILDS and IPaB, focusing on key thematic areas.

He said these included legislative capacity building, research collaboration, digital governance tools, and regional legislative diplomacy.

Participants jointly reviewed draft frameworks for future cooperation and outlined priority projects that will be pursued under the new three-year work plan.

The event symbolised a growing momentum across the ECOWAS sub-region to create synergies among parliamentary institutions in the face of emerging governance challenges.

The workshop‘s spirit of solidarity and shared purpose resonated strongly with participants, reinforcing the belief that sustainable democratic development requires intentional, cross-border collaboration.