By: Kebba AF Touray
The country’s National Assembly continued sittings yesterday September 5th 2018, with the adoption of the motion on the Report of The National Assembly Delegation to the ECOWAS Parliament, held in Lome, Togo from the 22nd to 24th and 26th to 31st of August 2018, respectively. The motion was tabled before Deputies by the National Assembly Member for Lower Nuimi, Matarr Jeng.
According to the report, the ECOWAS Parliament is one of the institutions of the Community established by Article 13 of the 1993 Revised Treaty, to accelerate and deepen the nature of the community integration process and was inaugurated on 16th November 2000 in Bamako.
The process of enhancing the powers of parliament began in 2002, during the first Legislature of parliament and the process was consolidated and brought to completion by the Authority of Heads of States and Government of ECOWAS, at their 50th Ordinary Session in Abuja, Nigeria, on 17th December 2016, by virtue of a Supplementary Act A/SA.1/12/16, relating to the enhancement of the powers of Parliament.
At the end of the Session, it was concluded that the 2018 budget was drawn up in accordance with the priority objectives in the Strategic Plan of the Community; that the ECOWAS parliament shall consider the overall budget of the community and deliver its opinion before its adoption by the Council; that parliament shall have oversight of the programs and activities of the Community and that the Session was a resounding one, with commitment and dedication of the host country Togo.
With the setting up of the Special Committee by the ECOWAS Parliament to analyze the provisions of the Supplementary Act on the enhancement of the powers of parliament, more monitoring and oversight visits should be made to ECOWAS institutions and borders of the community, expand media coverage in its activities and continue reflections on the process, for the enhancement of the powers of the parliament, as identified during in the recommendations of the Session.
After a lengthy and extensive debate by Lawmakers, the report was adopted with amendments.
