News:
January 22, 2020
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