President Brou Presents Report on the Implementation of the Community’s Work Program to the ECOWAS Parliament

H.E Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, the President of the ECOWAS Commission has presented a Report on the implementation of the Community’s work programme to the ECOWAS Parliament.

President Brou made the presentation during virtual 2^nd Ordinary session of the year 2020, of the fifth legislature of the ECOWAS Parliament which commenced the 13^th of January 2021.

The session with the President which held in accordance with the provisions Article 32 of the Supplementary Act of the Parliament, also provides the opportunity for the consideration of the Community budget, ensuring that the estimates are directed towards programmes that address the needs of community citizens, among others.

The president used the occasion to reaffirm the Commission’s Commitment to cooperation with the ECOWAS Parliament in order to advance the cause of regional integration.

The presentation gave insights to the state of affairs regarding outlook, projections and challenges in the various sectors including strides being made in the implementation of community programmes and projects, as the region grapples with the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the session there was also a presentation on the monitoring and evaluation policy of the ECOWAS Commission by Madam Finda Koroma, Vice President of the Commission following introductory remarks on the subject by professor George Yaw Gyan-Baffour, Minister of Planning of Ghana.

There were also presentations by the Commission’s Commissioners for Telecommunications and Information Technology as well as that of Energy and Mines.

Responding to the various issues raised by the Parliamentarians, President Brou urged members to join hands in the efforts to bring about harmonized methods by which the countries in the regions fight the COVID-19 especially as it relates to procedures for testing, quarantine and other requirements. This he said, was in order to close the discrepancies in the discretionary actions taken by individual countires. He noted that there was a high need for a collective implementation of regional decisions on COVID-19 with a harmonization that should involve all key ministries of all ECOWAS 15-member countries.

The president also highlighted positive strides in the industry, energy, Education (with particular reference to girl-child education and Diplomas equivalence) as well as youth development sectors during the period under review.

By the 19^th of January 2021, when the session wounds up, the Parliamentarians are expected to have considered and adopted, among others, the draft report of the July 2020 Virtual Extraordinary Session, the draft Report of election observation missions and of the election of Community Members of Parliaments by Direct Universal Suffrage, the draft Strategic Plan of the Parliament for the fifth legislature as well as the year 2021 activities plan of the Parliament.