The ECOWAS Parliament has advocated speedy reforms to transform the subregional bloc’s operations to tackle multifaceted challenges. The speaker of the parliament, Memounatou Ibrahima, stated this at the inauguration of the 2024 Third Extra-Ordinary Session and Second Parliamentary Seminar of the parliament in Lome, Togo, on Tuesday.

She noted that making budgetary provisions for adequate funding of the efforts toward addressing the subregion’s multiple challenges was a priority focus of the session.

“Our region is ravaged by floods, terrorism, violent extremism and irregular migration that have affected thousands of our citizens. ECOWAS of 50 years must speed up reforms to consolidate the principles of democracy and good governance to drive the vision of the founding fathers,” she said.

Ms Ibrahima said the event was to enable the parliament to consider and adopt its 2025-2027 budget for a financial roadmap of “pragmatic measures” to address ECOWAS’s challenges of peace, stability, solidarity and progress.

She said that the session would also examine the level of implementation of parliament’s 2023 budget and the mid-term budget for the 2024 financial year to ensure that it aligned with the region’s development goals.

(NAN)