Ibrahima, Speaker Of ECOWAS Parliament, Promises New Code Of Ethics, Good Conduct

Memounatou Ibrahima, the newly elected Speaker of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, has promised to turn the Community Parliament into a respected and admired institution.

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

She stated that for the parliament to be treated with respect, a code of ethics and conduct must be established.

According to her, “The first challenge is to continue to improve our Parliament’s image and function to make it a respected and admired institution. Indeed, we must succeed in inspiring respect, consideration, and admiration through our individual and collective commitment, as well as the quality and relevance of our work and resolutions. With this in mind, we will consider developing and implementing a code of ethics and good conduct within Parliament, because our constituents want to be proud of their representatives, who must demonstrate diligence, efficiency, objectivity, and accountability.”

Ibrahima, the first female speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, also stated her intention to strengthen relationships with national parliaments to solidify the foundation for collaboration and foster synergy in initiatives, actions, and programmes.

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

Ibrahima stated that the regional parliament under her leadership will focus on concrete results, with sessions dedicated to oral and written questions on major public concerns.

She hinted that: “We will also place a special emphasis on the effective fulfilment of our dual parliamentary mission, namely the right to propose amendments and oversee the actions of Community institutions and agencies. Similarly, by the provisions of our Rule of Procedure, the Sixth Legislature will strive to be highly creative and to achieve concrete results by prioritising sessions dedicated to oral and written questions on the major concerns of our populations.”

The speaker stated that the Parliament will launch initiatives to improve the skills of women and youth, combat youth radicalization, reduce the number of victims of illegal immigration, and make Parliament more visible and appreciated by the local population.

At the international level, Ibrahima stated that the Parliament’s activities will be pursued and intensified to improve its reputation, accelerate regional integration, and contribute to African and global peace.

She stated, “I am delighted that significant progress has already been made in the field of inter-parliamentary cooperation. Several heads of regional and international institutions, as well as diplomatic representations, have attended our sessions to demonstrate this. This confirms our strong partnership and effective solidarity in the face of the region’s and world’s numerous challenges.

Ibrahima, a Togolese lawmaker, was elected speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament by the Supplementary Act on Enhancement of Powers of the Community Parliament, which mandates the alphabetical rotation of the regional legislative body’s speakership.

Her immediate predecessor was Sierra Leonean Sidie Mohamed Tunis.