ECOWAS PARLIAMENT TO BE MORE PARTICIPATORY — AKOLOGO (PAGE 14, APRIL 26, 2010)

Communities of member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) would, by the end of this year, be given the opportunity to participate fully in the activities of the ECOWAS Parliament.
This, according to the leader of Ghana’s delegation to the ECOWAS Parliament, Mr John Tia Akologo, is to make the ECOWAS Parliament more transparent and a participatory one with an electoral process which would ensure proper grass roots representation.
To this end, he said, citizens of all member states shall be eligible to contest elections to be members of the ECOWAS Parliament through the adoption of a system code-named “Direct Universal Adult Suffrage”.
Presently, that privilege is bestowed only on elected national parliamentarians.
Mr Akologo who was addressing a sensitisation forum on the ECOWAS Parliament in Wa, noted that the involvement of the citizenry in the deliberations of the ECOWAS Parliament would make the organisation more prominent in the process of regional integration.
He added that a subcommittee on the election of members had opted to abide by electoral laws of the respective member countries as the mode of elections for members of the community who would contest to join the parliament.
“The electoral bodies of the respective member countries would be responsible for the delineation of national constituencies on the basis of national exigencies while having due regard to 30 per cent gender balance,” he emphasised.
Mr Akologo who is also the Minister of Information, was hopeful that the parliament would adopt the proposals made under the universal adult suffrage next month when the house would reconvene.
That, according to him, would give the ECOWAS Parliament a more concrete and actual legislative powers other than just an advisory body, to make it more purposeful and to enhance the quality of democratic practices in the sub-region.
Mr Akologo said ECOWAS was formed by 15 member states’ about 40 years ago, and
the ECOWAS Parliament created 10 years ago also had representations from members states national parliament.
He said the aim of the sub-regional body was to foster co-operation and development among member states with respect to economic activities and regional integration among other issues.
Responding to questions, the minister promised to capture the issue of Fulani herdsmen and the recent boundary issues with neighbouring Cote d’ Ivoire in its country report to be submitted to the house when it reconvenes in Abuja, Nigeria next month, for advice.