ECOWAS Parliament to Develop Code of Ethics, Good Conduct

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

 The newly elected Speaker of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, Memounatou Ibrahima, has promised to make the Community Parliament a respected and admired institution by putting in place a code of ethics and good conduct.

Ibrahima made the promise in her speech after she was sworn in as the speaker of the regional Parliament at the 2024 2nd Extraordinary Session of the 6th Legislature of the ECOWAS Parliament in Kano.

She said for the parliament to get the respect it deserves, a code of ethics and conduct needed to be emplaced.

According to her, “the first challenge is to continue to improve the image and functioning of our Parliament in order to make it a respected and admired institution. Indeed, we must succeed in inspiring respect, consideration and admiration through our individual and collective dedication, and through the quality and relevance of our work and resolutions. With this in mind, we will be considering the possibility of putting together and implementing a code of ethics and good conduct within the Parliament, because our people want to be proud of their parliament, whose members must demonstrate diligence, efficiency, objectivity and accountability.”

Ibrahima, who is the first female speaker of ECOWAS Parliament, also expressed her commitment to strengthen relationships with national parliaments, with a view to consolidating the basis for collaboration and fostering synergy in initiatives, actions and programmes.

She said: “To achieve this, we intend to organise rotational activities, bringing together members of the ECOWAS Parliament and those of national parliaments.”

Ibrahima said the regional parliament under her leadership would aim at concrete results and give priority to sessions dedicated to oral and written questions on major concerns of the populations.

She added that: “We will also place special emphasis on the effective fulfillment of our two-fold parliamentary mission, namely: Our right to propose amendments and to oversee the actions of community institutions and agencies. In the same vein, the Sixth Legislature will strive, in accordance with the provisions of our Rule of Procedure, to be highly creative and will aim for concrete results by giving priority to sessions dedicated to oral and written questions on the major concerns of our populations.”

Ibrahima, a Togolese lawmaker, was elected the speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, in accordance with the provision of the alphabetical rotational speakership of the regional legislative body as stipulated by the Supplementary Act on Enhancement of Powers of the Community Parliament.

Her predecessor was Sidie Mohamed Tunis from Sierra Leone.