ECOWAS committee recommends budgetary reforms
The Joint Committee of the ECOWAS Parliament has proposed new budget reforms for consideration by the subregional bloc’s leaders.
The committees involved are Administration, Finance, Budget, Public Accounts, Macroeconomic Policy, and Economic Research.
The lawmakers also recommended amending the 2016 Supplementary Act concerning parliamentary autonomy and the powers of the bloc’s leadership.
This follows the adoption of the Community’s budget report by the Joint Committee at the conclusion of a three-day technical session in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, on Wednesday. The session was chaired by Rep. Benjamin Kalu, Deputy Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives and Chairman of the Joint Committee.
The report and its recommendations will be forwarded to the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government through the Council of Ministers.
The meeting, which began on Monday, focused on the role of parliament in the development, execution, and oversight of the ECOWAS budget. The report recommended further consultations with similar parliaments globally.
Key recommendations include sending a parliamentary diplomatic mission to study successful models such as those in the European Union and the East African Legislative Assembly. The Committee also emphasized the need for a Resource Pool and Budget Framework to enhance budgetary oversight and coordination.
Additionally, the report highlighted the overlapping oversight functions between the Administration and Finance Committee (AFC) and the ECOWAS Parliament, calling for alignment of the legal framework to ensure better synergy.
The Committee proposed reviewing the Supplementary Act to strengthen Parliament’s powers in representation, legislation, and oversight, as well as amending the Rules of Procedure to improve parliamentary functions.
A diplomatic mission to engage with the Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government and other leaders was also suggested to bolster the ECOWAS Parliament’s powers.
Concerns about budgetary arbitration were raised, with recommendations to include the ECOWAS Parliament in the budget arbitration process and to establish a budget harmonisation committee with the ECOWAS Commission, the Council of Ministers, and the Parliament to review the Community budget before finalization.
ECOWAS Parliament Speaker Memounatou Ibrahima urged member states to increase funding to address the bloc’s challenges, while Chairman Kalu promised transparency in fund usage through meaningful engagements with stakeholders like the ECOWAS Commission and AFC.
