Category: General

Nigeria lawmaker on the ticket of the ECOWAS Parliament, Hon Bamidele Salam attending this year’s Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) 145th Assembly in Rwanda Kigali said the Community Parliament’s women empower drive is in with the current ongoing IPU Assembly. According to him for the Parliament to allocate a budget for female empowerment in its 2023 budget is a positive development.

He said this in an interview in Kigali on Tuesday, October 11, 2022 at the opening of the IPU 145th Assembly meeting on the theme, “Gender equality and gender-sensitive Parliaments as drivers of change for a more resilient and peaceful world”. He further pointed out that in developing countries, there is not enough inclusiveness of women in the various parliaments;

“I met my colleagues from the Zambia, female parliamentarians and they were regretting that almost every year this number keeps decreasing, the ration to men and women in parliament”. Unfortunately, Hon Bamidele Salam noted that they have similar situation in Nigeria; so for the ECOWAS to take up that as the challenge, dedicate session and budget to women is in line with the global thinking, attending this conference would accentuate that theme in the ECOWAS Parliament, he added.

Hon Bamidele also pointed out that he supports the idea of getting more women at least ten (10) into the next ECOWAS Parliament as his country prepares for a general elections in February, next year. “I am committed to some legislation that currently came to the Nigerian Parliament; I would say I was one of those who voted in support of those proactive legislations in the parliament even though we did not get the number, it did not pass through but at least I was counted as one of the numbers”.

This is one thing that one would gladly do as we go forward, the challenges are diverse and economic, culture, religious issues coming up at the point of elections, so if you do not have enough numbers in the national parliament it would be difficult to put forward enough numbers to the regional parliament. Because one feeds the other, so that is where the challenges come from, so I am hoping with the degree of advocacy going on now in the next cycle of elections in Nigeria, we would have more females in parliament.

“So for us, to enrich the ECOWAS parliament with the Nigeria delegation to have a minimum of ten, like you rightly asked, out of the 35 coming to represent Nigeria in the ECOWAS Parliament”. As to whether sensitization is going on well in Nigeria, he responded in the affirmative, stating that a lot of women and organization and their male counterparts are pushing that agenda and hopes it would yield results in the next cycle of elections.

On his takeaway at the end of the Assembly, he noted that, it would help deepen the engagement at the national parliament and the population on the need to push for women empowerment. “Incidentally, today is the international day of the girl child that raises the tempo of the discussion around this topic, and I hope at the end of the meeting the engagement would get deeper”, he added.

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A member of the Nigerians delegation to the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) Parliament, Awaji-Inombek Abiante is confident the brouhaha that has surrounded the parliament’s recruitment would definitely see an end. He, however noted that, the problem can best be resolved only if the recruitment process is satisfactory to all the parties involved.

“There should be due process making the entire thing transparent; there should be sense of justice”. “Whether in capital letters, small, Spanish or Portuguese, English and French you do not pick and choose; some people want to make themselves heroes, but we prefer the hero to be the parliament; let ECOWAS Parliament be the hero, there have been seeming resemblance of injustice over the years”.
He said this in an interview on his way to catch a flight to Nigeria in Lome Togo, after he moved a point of order to halt the Ad-Hoc Committee set up by the speaker in consultation with the Bureau to investigate alleged unjust recruitment at the Parliament, working against Nigerians. “We have some persons claimed they have worked in the Parliament for ten (10) to twenty (20) years, they have never earn promotion and the insinuation is that some people want to be recruited; I do not understand why people would imagine to support such a process”.

Additionally, he pointed that there is a comprehensive review of an audit and few things were recommended; “why are we running away from that audit route, let us look at it, whoever is not favored is not favored”. And from that point onwards things would be done rightly as no one is interested in anything different as due process and procedure should be followed, “that is all”.

Furthermore, he added that the Community Parliament has a lot to do in the wake of the recruitment brouhaha, that has engulfed it, stating that there is the need for capacity building to enhance the capacity of the parliament.

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As Nigeria heads to the polls February next year for its general elections, one out of the two females representing the country despite the fact that Nigeria has thirty-five (35) representations to the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) Parliament, Lynda Chuba Ikeazu says the narrative would change in the next Parliament.
According to her they would make a very strong case for the leadership of Nigeria to make way for at least ten (female) lawmakers in the sixth Community Parliament as they look forward to more women to be part of the Parliament.
She made the disclosure at the just ended second Extraordinary Session in Lome – Togo, during which the ECOWAS Parliament made a budgetary allocation for the 2023 fiscal policy, for Female Parliamentary Association (ECOFEPA) on the theme, “unleashing the potentials of women and youth in politics and Entrepreneurship”.
Madam Lynda Ikeazu noted that the budgetary allocation to ECOFEPA would assist them in their activities, as they plan to bring women across the West African sub-region next month, to converge at one location and train them.
“Because this is all about training and mentorship for them to understand what it takes to be in politics, or whatever field they so choose to, ECOFEPA, we would move away from symposiums”, she added.
She singled out Senegal as an example, having succeeded in securing spots for a lot of women in their National Assembly.
Though she recognised the task ahead of them is a difficult one, she was hopeful they can come out with a workable strategy to push through with their objectives. “Let us face it, it is not going to be easy, but we going to ensure we file all national governments; we device ways to push forward other women because no one is going to pretend that the terrain is not difficult.
Again in Africa, be it culture or whatever that has put women in the disadvantage, they have to work on that; and every country is different, “so we have to look inward and determine what best way to use to address this; whether we are going to use political parties, National Assemblies to make legislations that would make it easier for women to participate in the political field”.
She further emphasized, just anything they can do to make sure they have a level playing field with their male counterpart. Again, “let us face it, we are not going to have a complete level playing field but something very close to a level playing ground that is what we are going to aim to achieve”, she emphasized.
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The Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States has allocated funds to the ECOWAS Female Parliamentarians Association Network (ECOFEPA) as part of its contribution to address issues confronting women and youths as well as to enhance participation of women in Leadership in the Sub-Region,

Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament Rt. Hon. Sidie Mohamed Tunis disclosed this in his opening remark at the ECOFEPA Women and Youth Leadership Symposium, with the team “Unleashing the Potentials of Women and Youth in Politics & Entrepreneurship” in Lome, Togo.

The speaker said “I am happy to observe that this Association has always demonstrated resilience and determination to succeed in its noble cause to promote leadership and empowerment for African women and youths.

Since its formation, ECOFEPA has championed the cause for the effective participation of women in the political process, with the aim of increasing their proportion in high-profile positions in the ECOWAS Sub-region.

The ECOWAS Parliament remains committed to working with ECOFEPA and other civil society organizations to achieve your targeted goals.

As a demonstration of this commitment, the Parliament has allocated funding for ECOFEPA programs and will continue to provide the moral support to push you further, I, therefore, assure you of my personal support, in every way possible, to help you achieve the success you desire.

To ensure that women and youth have the full equality they deserve, the Speaker charged the members of the women’s Caucus to be more trenchant in their network.

Every woman here knows or has experienced the difficulty in bringing women into the fold of political participation across our continent – from the grassroots up to the highest offices.

Women’s participation in politics, especially at the grassroots level, remains an issue of great concern and the level of involvement of women in governance at the top still falls below the policy requirement of 30 percent affirmative action.

In overcoming the multiple challenges which African women are confronted with, it is vital that there be trailblazers such as ECOFEPA that strives determinedly for all our women to be empowered.

We are seeing progress in African women’s participation in politics, no doubt, although not at the levels we expect.

Full political participation will become a reality for women when access to participatory institutions at all levels is considered a right; and when women no longer feel compelled to wage campaigns and stage protests to have a say in the decisions that affect their lives.

“Special focus must be directed at educating, capacitating, and empowering women and young people who, despite certain gains, continue to lag behind men in access to education, resources, and opportunities. I believe to whom much is given, much is expected”, he said.

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The First Vice President of the Economic Community of West African States, Female Parliamentary Association (ECOFEPA), Sen. Biodun Olujimi said the body will push for qualitative legislation that will lead to the empowerment of women and youths across the Sub-region.

She said this at the opening of the ECOFEPA Women and Youth Leadership Symposium with the theme “Unleashing the Potentials of Women and Youth in Politics & Entrepreneurship” in Lome, Togo.

Sen. Olujimi who is also one of the Nigerian Delegation to the ECOWAS Parliament stated that women and youths empowerment of the ECOWAS Community is key in availing them with opportunities to participate in creating new frontiers for the political landscape of the Sub-Region.

“ECOFEPA gave the female Parliamentarians of ECOWAS the opportunity to use the collective mandate to empower women and youth through qualitative legislation, representation, and participation in the sub-region.

“As we know, development, diversity and inclusion all go together, the phenomenon that has a high indication that when women and young people are in the representative leadership and key decision-making body they bring about the bracket of changes.

“To say the least, evidence of repeated success on this matter is bound in many countries, especially developed countries such as Norway, Iceland, and New Zealand. May I also add that these are some of the Countries with the happiest people in the World, this means that women make the world happy.

She added that ECOFEPA will key into the regional body’s vision 2050 to achieve their desired objective.

“With the new ECOWAS vision 2050, which aims to create an integrated community with strong institutions that respect fundamental freedoms, inclusive and sustainable development, the ECOFEPA mandate is more important than ever”, she said.

The Nigerian lawmaker further said one of the five key pillars of the ECOWAS vision is social inclusion with the strategic objective being to create a community of people fully inclusive of women, children, and youths.

She, however, urged her fellow parliamentarians to take action by promoting inclusion as well as strengthen social cohesion, gender diversity for social development and progress.

“It is no secret that there is the insufficient political representation of women and youth in the sub-region.

“A huge part of this leadership symposium is therefore to create awareness and interest among our participants, this will help bring solutions to the limited representation facing groups who will lack sufficient models to look up to, thereby naturally, a career in politics and leadership seems less attainable and attractive.

“There is no understanding of the fact that we need to break this circle, we need to show the women and youth the full range of options available to them and bring them to optimum awareness of their potential, this will no doubt bring us closer to the ECOWAS that we earnestly deserve”, she said.

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Ghana’s Ambassador to the Republic of Togo H. E. Kofi Mensah Demitia hosted members of the Ghanaian delegation to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament on Wednesday, October 5, 2022 at his residence.

The Ghanaian delegation is currently in Lome the Togolese capital attending, the Second Extraordinary meeting of the Community Parliament which started on Monday, October 3, 2022 and ends on Friday, October, 7 2022.

Being a budget meeting, lawmakers as part of their work programme are to adopt the report of the Ad Hoc Committee that prepared the 2023 budget for the Community Parliament.

Ambassador Mensah Demitia, welcomed the delegation and noted that there is a cordial relation between the Ghanaian President H. E. Nana Akufo-Addo and his Togolese counterpart H. E. Faure Gnassingbe.

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The President of the Republic of Togo H. E. Faure Gnassingbe has stressed on the need for a common commitment towards working together in achieving peace and Security in the West African sub-region. According to him there are a number of challenges affecting the sub-region, hence encouraging cooperation to drive acceptable solutions for West Africa.
He made this remarks on Thursday, October 6, 2022 when the Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament Rt. Hon Dr Sidie Mohamed Tunis paid a courtesy call on him, in Lome where the second  Extraordinary Session of the parliament is being hosted.

During their meeting, the Honorable Speaker took note of the good relations between the ECOWAS Parliament and the Republic of Togo, and the prospects for their further consolidation. Dr. Tunis then lauded His Excellency Gnassingbe  for the important role he is playing to promote peace, security and development in West Africa and his integral initiatives that are geared towards the restoration of stability in Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso.
“It was a great honor to meet with the President of the Republic of Togo,” Speaker Tunis said. He expressed his gratitude to the government and people of Togo for hosting the ECOWAS Parliament and for the enormous support received.

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As part of the work programme of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, Chairman of the Committee on Political Affairs, Peace, Security and Africa Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), Senator Edwin Mervin Snowe Jr., Rt. Hon Dr Sidie Mohammed Tunis and Secretary General John Azumah would pay a working visit to Guinea Conakry, Mali and Burkina Faso to meet the authorities and citizens.

Chairman Snowe Jr. in an interview noted that this is the role the Community Parliament is also playing to see how the three states return to constitutional rule. According to him they are very concerned with statements coming from authorities of Guinea Conakry towards ECOWAS and the security situation in Mali that is being supported by Russia; “Mali and Guinea military juntas are working together and there has been visit by the Guinea leader to Mali”.

Again, there is a situation in Burkina Faso and he was wondering which direction they are going, hence the need to be a little more vigilant. “Guinea for example, if ECOWAS had been strong on the military junta trying to resist what their former ousted president was trying to do, we may not have been at where we are today. We need to do more and fight more, we need to talk more and negotiate more, so that we can put a stop to it but again the situation of Russian presence in the country affected by military coup is quite alarming”.

He further noted that ECOWAS needs to do something; a country like Burkina Faso in the wake of their coup, they burning the French embassy destroying the visa section does not speak well of the sub-region, it works against the region. As to whether the chair of the Authority of Heads of States and Government has the full support of the Parliament, he responded in the affirmative and pointed out that he as chair of the Political Affairs Committee together with the Speaker had paid a working visit to the Chair of Authority of Heads of States and Government.

Again, the chair is former military personnel, he has been tough and pushing for additional sanction and shows that the screws are being tightened. There has been some resistant but ECOWAS would not be deterred about it. “We are fully behind the Head of States, we are Ecowas and we are here to ensure the right decisions are implemented and turn our region into a truly constitutional region”, he said.

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A member of the Ad Hoc Committee that prepared the Community Parliament’s budget for next year 2023, Senator Edwin Melvin Snowe Jr. has revealed that the budget has a zero per cent increase. According to him before the passage of their budget the Commission send a budget celling referred to as a budget circular; this year’s own is twenty-two million UA as they have been directed by the Commission to re-direct their programme as they cannot increase it.

“So what we have done is to condense some of our programmes. For example, where we had programme for 16 localized meeting, we have cut it down to four but all of the MPs would still be going , except that where staffs would have to be moved to different location, they would make one trip; we have cut that down”, he said in an interview with Ghanamps.com
The meeting on direct elections, they have cut down on activities also, some of the things like procurement of vehicles they do not need additional vehicles for next year, “we do not have to do structure works like we did last year, we had money in the budget for last year. We have made those adjustments to accommodate our programme apart from Nigeria, Liberia and Serra Leone, we have Parliamentary elections in Benin, Togo Guinea Bissau so there are six elections next year; three in presidential and three parliamentary”.

Chairman of the Committee on Political Affairs, Peace, Security and Africa Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) noted that, they have accommodated those elections in their budget, they have accommodated all the oversight missions in their budget, as a matter of fact that is why beginning of next week after this session MPs would be making simultaneous trips in the region on fact finding missions.

“So, all of our programmes have been covered, we are concerned about the prevailing situation in the region; three of our member states are on sanction on military regime that also affect revenue the intake of the community levy”. So most of their activities have been affected, they were able to make the necessary adjustment in the budget so that we would be able to continue their work and the visibility of the parliament.

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Member of Parliament for North Tongue, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has donated medical equipment to the Neurosurgeon department of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and praised the arrangement between himself and the hospital.

According to him at the background, there was discussion between him and the hospital especially Dr. Mohammed Hadi Abdallah, a neurosurgeon as to what medical equipment they need so that it does not appear medical equipment will just be dumpped on the hospital which is of no use.

“We had discussions to work on the need assessment to fill up the gaps so that whatever we bring here will be put to good use and would be beneficiary. Again we are looking way beyond North Tongue”, he said.

The North Tongue MP further pointed out that with the district hospital he has in his constituency, there would be the need for referrals to be made to a higher hospital and believe they can count on the expertise in Korle Bu.

And as part of his collaboration with his American counterparts supply overseas, he could not keep the equipment in his constituency to gather dust but had to bring them to Korle Bu where they are needed.

He was full of praise for the administrators at Korle Bu especially the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for his open door policy as he had been very collaborative and hosted them warmly. As such he is encouraged to do more and believe the medical equipment would be put to good use.

And further revealed that a surgical theatre is being constructed in his district but there would be special cases and complications that will require referrals; they cannot be an island and so similar medical donation was also done at the Ho Regional hospital.

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