ECOWAS Parliament Elects Ibrahima First Female Speaker

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament has elected the first female speaker in its history.

Memounatou Ibrahima of Togo was elected as the new Speaker of the Community Parliament at the 2024 Second Extraordinary Session of the Sixth Legislature of the Community Parliament held in Kano.

She became speaker after the Speakership of the Community Parliament was ratified in alphabetical order in accordance with the provisions of the Supplementary Act on Enhancement of Power.

Sierra Leone served as the fifth ECOWAS Parliament Legislature.

Ibrahima served as the third Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament’s fifth Legislature, and she has been a member since 2021.

She is taking up the baton from the Nigerian leader of delegation, Senator Barau Jubrin, who was elected the First Deputy Speaker at the inauguration of the Sixth Legislature of the ECOWAS Parliament on April 4th 2024, and had to act as the Speaker to avoid creating a leadership vacuum at the Community Parliament.

The Republic of Togo delegation was not present at the inauguration of the Sixth ECOWAS Legislature on April 4th, 2024, because the country had not held elections to send representatives to the Community Parliament.

Ibrahima was named Speaker after her Togo parliamentary colleagues proposed her as their country’s candidate. She was elected after being returned unopposed.

The Acting Speaker, Nigerian Senator Barau Jibrin, immediately presented Ibrahima with the instrument of authority, the gavel.