Author: Fred GhanaMPs

The West African sub-regional Community lawmakers meeting in the Gambia for the last extraordinary meeting and seminar for the life span of the fourth legislature on Friday 24th January 2020 criticize the maiden mid-term evaluation report of the fourth legislature.

Most prominent among the criticism was that MPs felt not a single member was contacted with the whole process that produce the report, whiles others were unhappy the Speaker Mustapha Cisse Lo was not evaluated.

Other MPs who happens to be consultants and have been involved in various research and evaluation works  for other organisations, expressed  dissatisfaction with the methodology technique used.

Mr. John Azumah, administrative head of the sub-regional Community Parliament clam down  the nerves of the MPs on the evaluation of the mid-term report, when he accepted that the administration is not oblivious of the inadequacy and weaknesses.

“It is a work in progress, we are thinking as your humble servants we should start from somewhere, as some of them will be sweet and bitter at end of the day, this should be able to inform the fifth legislature”.

He further pointed out to the lawmakers the views taken on the maiden mid-term report of the fourth legislature is to aid review and the strategic management of the Parliament.

Again, he added that going forward the whole Parliament would be involved and taken along for the benefit of the Community citizens. “We would improve upon what we have done”, he assured.

Mr. Azumah further revealed  that after the inauguration of the fifth legislature, there would be a section to build the capacity of lawmakers where stakeholders like the ECOWAS Commission and the AFC would be involved.

And emphasised the importance of knowing each other, MPs and those in the administration as just knowing directors make a lot of difference, he pointed out.

“Members with contributions and issues should make them available to the administration, the exercise is to reform the institution, your contributions are welcomed to plan for the fifth legislature”.

Mr. Urok Unah representing M&E Consultant who made the presentation in his response thanked the lawmakers for their feedback, and explained that the process of evaluation was not perfect as has been pointed out initially in his presentation that there were constraints.

“We have conducted this exercise within fifteen days, we have budgetary constrain, we know how to use methodology, we were not happy we could not speak to any MP, it would have been good to do that”.

He also pointed  out that the budgetary constrain does not pertain to only ECOWAS Parliament but all the Community institutions, and noted that “the report did not showcase the Parliament in a bad light, rather show case the achievements and more of the things that can be achieved going forward”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

All is set for ECOWAS parliamentary three day’s seminar in the Gambia from Thursday, January 23 to 25, 2020.

A member of the Gambian delegation to the Community Parliament, Fatoumatta Njai and a member of the local organizing committee in collaboration with Gambia’s National Assembly noted that they are eighty   percent prepared for tomorrow’s programme.

According to her, they are having helping hand from staff of the ECOWAS Parliament secretariat from Abuja, who are on the ground to ensure a successful extraordinary meeting in the Gambia.

She pointed out in an interview that lawmakers from the Community Parliament have been well received with Bureau meeting held on Tuesday and the Conference of Bureau meeting on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the President of the Gambia, H. E. Adama Barrow is expected to be in attendance to open the Parliamentary seminar to be followed by the extraordinary meeting slated for January 27 to 31, 2020.. “So far so good everything has been going on well”, she explained.

Madam Fatoumatta Njai noted that the meeting is to evaluate what has taken place in the past four years and come out with resolutions since this is the last session of the life span of the fourth legislature.

“We have resource persons from all over the world and we would be looking at our enhancement powers; how far we have gone with it, what needs to be done as we move forward into the fifth legislature”.

She also indicated that for a smooth transition, “we are looking at the way forward always to be better, we need to evaluate and see what we have missed and the best that can be done”.

It is worth stating that the local organisation committee was seen around preparing seriously to ensure tomorrow’s even turns out good.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com/Banjul

The only female among the Gambian delegation to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, Madam Fatoumatta Njai has said she is hopeful of seeing the fifth legislature having two female deputy speakers.

According to Njai, discussions are ongoing and, “we might have two female deputy speakers, it is not confirmed yet”.

In an interview she pointed out that all over the world there are challenges with female representation, at the moment ECOWAS Female Parliamentarians Association (ECOFEPA) has lost seats of two representatives,  “we are hoping the ones to replace them would be females”.

“A country like Nigeria which has thirty-five seats in the Parliament, it should be possible for them to have more female representation”.

As to whether the situation has changed with the re-composition of representation to the fifth legislature, from the Gambia, she noted that she is the only female and with Ghana the re-composition has only one female Ama Pomaa Boateng.

She further pointed out that on the 28th of this month there would be a town hall meeting where, ECOFEPA would discuss issues of challenges of female Parliamentarians and they would be sharing with young female leaders their success stories.

This, she noted, would inform them on how best they can start mentorship programme with them to have more female leaders, adding that there are only three elected females in the National Assembly of the Gambia.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com/Banjul

Ahead of Thursday’s Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliamentary seminar, leader of the Gambian delegation, Mr.  Kebba K. Barrow said the meeting is a serious one to help take stock of activities of the fourth legislature.

According to the leader of the Gambia delegation preparation for the seminar and the extraordinary meeting are in “high gear”.

He disclosed that the office of the President has confirmed the attendance of the President to deliver a speech, while other high public officials including the Ambassador of the Gambia to the ECOWAS Parliament, Minister responsible for Regional Integration and ECOWAS, and the Speaker of the National Assembly who would be represented by her deputy because she is bereaved lost her mum over the weekend would be represented.

“So far everything is on course for tomorrow’s opening of the seminar;  a consultant would be in to present a report which would be discussed at the plenary. They would help link up with the strategy of the ECOWAS Commission to be able to come up with a draft plan for the fifth legislature”.

He assured in an interview that the extraordinary meeting is going to look at some of the things ECOWAS meeting is planning to do in the fifth legislature, he said.

Again, per the enhanced powers, the fifth legislature is going to start in the first quarter of 2020, but this has to be confirmed by the current chairman of ECOWAS from Niger, H. E.  Mahamadou Issoufou.

According to him, the place for the swearing in of the Parliamentarians would be discussed with the President of ECOWAS Commission, Jean-Claude Kassi Brou before the first extraordinary meeting of the fifth legislature, but added that the date for the swearing in is not yet known.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com/Banjul

The unhealthy rivalry between lawmakers and Chief Executives at the various assemblies became a topical issue at the just ended public hearing of the Public Account Committee meeting.
District Chief of Executive for Ho West, Ernest Victor Apau   told the Committee he has the best of relation with his Member of Parliament as far as pushing agenda for the development of the District is concerned; he involves him in every activities of the Assembly.

In an interview with journalists, he noted that he is not aware of problems between DCEs and MPs, adding that  in his case he does not have a problem with his MP unless he is given evidence of problems MPs have with DCEs in other Districts.

“We have been established by law and each person has a role to play in the total development agenda that we pushing, we should engage each other the more in a very decent way, if we are considering development of the District”.

On the issue of the MPs Common Fund, he noted that the funds is the tax payers money and it is the duty of the DCEs to ensure that the money is used judiciously and the duty of the MP to engage the DCE to ensure that all the time the relationship is better.

“It is better if we are seen more united it gives a positive signal to the watching and listening public”, he said.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com