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ECOWAS Parliament in focus

 



The ECOWAS Parliament is one institution of the Community that is representative of the entire population with its core mandate being to give a voice to the people within the integration process.

The Protocol relating to the establishment of ECOWAS Parliament was signed in Abuja on 6th August, 1994 and entered into force in 14th March, 2002. 

In 2016, at the 50th Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government, a Supplementary Act was passed to enhance the power of Parliament.

The ECOWAS Parliament is currently a non-legislative assembly that issues advisory opinions to the Authority of Heads of State and Government and the Council of Ministers as well as other ECOWAS Institutions and Agencies.

The ECOWAS Parliament has so far, ended Four Legislatures, within a period spanning from 2000 to February 2020. She is currently in her Fifth Legislature which commenced March 2020.

The Parliament is composed of one hundred and fifteen (115) seats, with a mandatory five seats allotted to Members States, and the remaining shared on the basis of the population. Consequently, Nigeria has the highest seats in Parliament with 35 seats, followed by Ghana, 8 seats, Cote d’Ivoire, 7 seats, Burkina Faso 6 seats, Guinea 6 seats, Mali 6 seats, Niger 6 seats, Senegal 6 seats, Sierra Leone 5 seats, Liberia 5 seats, Guinea Bissau 5 seats, Benin 5 seats, Cape Verde 5 seats, Gambia 5 seats and Togo 5 seats.

ECOWAS Parliament has two organs: The Political and the Administrative organs. The political arm comprises The Plenary, The Bureau, Conference of Bureaux, 13-Standing Committees. 

The Administrative arm consists of departments, divisions and units that make up the general secretariat, which is headed by the Secretary General.


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