ECOWAS Parliament Speaker Affirms Code Of Ethics, Good Conduct in Parliament

By Linda Ike

The newly elected Speaker of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS Parliament Memounatou Ibrahima, has assured to make the Community Parliament a respected and admired institution.

She stated this after she was sworn in as the speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament at the 2024 Second Extraordinary Session of the Sixth Legislature of the Parliament in Kano, Nigeria.

Ibrahima said for the parliament to get the respect it deserves, a code of ethics and good conduct needs to be initiated within the parliament.

“The first challenge is to continue to improve the image and functioning of our Parliament to make it a respected and admired institution. Indeed, we must succeed in inspiring respect, consideration,n and admiration through our individual and collective dedication, and the quality and relevance of our work and resolutions. With this in mind, we will be considering the possibility of putting together and implementing a code of ethics and good conduct within the Parliament, because our people want to be proud of their parliament, whose members must demonstrate diligence, efficiency, object, activity, and accountability.” Ibrahima stated.

She pledged her commitment to strengthening relationships with national parliaments, consolidating the basis for collaboration, and fostering synergy in initiatives, actions, and programs.

She said, “To achieve this, we organizinganising rotational activities, bringing together Members of the ECOWAS Parliament and those of national parliaments.”

Ibrahima further assured that the ECOWAS parliament under her leadership will aim at concrete results and give priority to sessions dedicated to oral and written questions on major concerns of the populations

“We will also place special emphasis on the effefulfillmentilment of our twofold parliamentary mission, namely our right to propose amendments and to oversee the actions of Community institutions and agencies. In the same vein, the Sixth Legislature will sbyce with the provisions of our Rule of Procedure, to be highly creative and will aim for concrete results by giving priority to sessions dedicated to oral and written questions on the major concerns of our populations.”

The speaker said the Parliament will initiate programs to enhance the skills of women and the youth, help combat the radicalization of young people, reduce the number of victims of illegal immigration, and make Parliament more visible and appreciated by the local population.

She added that the Parliament’s activities will be pursued and intensified to enhance its reputation, accelerate regional interest, and integration, and contribute to peace on the continent and in the world.