Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament is deploying diplomatic efforts to prevent Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso from leaving the regional bloc.
Gatekeepers News reports that Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu revealed this during an interview with newsmen in Abidjan, Ivory Coast on Saturday.
Kalu held a meeting of parliament’s Joint Committee on Administration, Finance, Budget, Public Accounts, Macroeconomic Policy, and Economic Research in Abidjan.
Since January 28, 2024, when the military
Military juntas in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger had since January 28, 2024 announced their decision to withdraw from ECOWAS, but it was met with disapproval of the organisation.
The chairman of the committee confirmed that parliamentary diplomacy mechanisms are being deployed to engage the three nations, emphasising the importance of unity within ECOWAS.
Kalu assured that letters had been sent to the governments of the concerned nations, and visits by parliamentary representatives would soon follow.
The speaker expressed confidence that dialogue would lead to their reintegration into the regional body.
He said, “There are already mechanisms in place, through what is called parliamentary diplomacy, to reach out to them.”
“Letters have been sent to them, and very soon, some of us will start visiting those countries to engage the heads of government”.
“We will open up the doors for them to come back to the family; We need them.”
“We will tell them, for instance, that, granted, maybe they were offended by one or two things, but let us sit down again and discuss.”
Kalu noted that even in a worst-case scenario where the three countries exit the internationalorganisation, ECOWAS’s financial stability would not be at risk.
He mentioned the organisation’s multiple revenue streams, including Community Levy and contributions from development agencies.
The speaker said, “There are many other sources. So, we want to make sure that we streamline it and know where monies are coming from.”
“If these are not enough, we will increase because there are so many development agencies, there are so many people who are interested in the sub-region.”
“There are multiple ways of raising funds for the parliament, as well as the community,” he said.”
ECOWAS Parliament is also pushing for reforms to strengthen legislative independence.
Kalu, who also chairs the country’s House of Representatives Constitutional Review Committee, said that the laws governing ECOWAS need to be revised to reflect the changing political landscape.
The proposed amendments would bolster separation of powers and enhance the credibility of the institution on the international stage.
He said, “Rightly put, we need to amend the Supplementary Act.”
“The protocols that brought the ECOWAS Commission and ECOWAS Parliament into existence need to be overhauled.”
