March 31, 2021
March 31, 2021
By Mohamed M. Sesay
Yesterday the 30th of March, the Fifth Legislature of the ECOWAS Parliament adopted its 2020-2024 strategic plan which now implies that the ECOWAS Parliament can now operate with a broader mandate that includes over sighting the activities of the programmes implementing agencies of the community, as well as annual community budgeting.
In his presentation of the Strategic Plan, the Secretary General of the ECOWAS Parliament John Azumah noted that, the 2020-2024 strategic plan of the fifth (5th) Legislature of the ECOWAS Parliament is deemed to be guided by the provisions of the supplementary Act on the Enhancement of powers of Parliament adopted in December 2016.
He said the supplementary Act redefined the objectives and competence of parliament and also creates a new role for the ECOWAS Parliament within the community hence, promoting inter-institutional relation and synergy.
He further stated that the plan also considers the recent directive by the ECOWAS Council of Ministers on the need for ECOWAS institutions to undertake programmes.
He added that, the ECOWAS Parliament as one of the major institutions of the community operates within the ambit of the community strategic framework (CSF) wherein, the strategic framework defines the strategic orientation of the entire community for which the parliament is an integral part.
Consequently, he said that the community strategic framework remains the guide towards the charting the strategic direction of the Parliament. He highlighted the goals which are; goal 1; socio-economic development with an objective of putting in place institutions, frameworks and policies for enhancing sustainable development, goal 2; Economic and Monetary integration with the objective of achieving economic/monetary integration in its form, goal 3; political integration with the objective of ensuring peace, security and good governance, goal 5; societal/institutional support with the objective of enhancing societal/institutional capacities for building sustainable society/institutions and goal 5; expanding and improving infrastructural facilities with the objective of increasing access to usage of infrastructural facilities of which the ECOWAS parliament is expected to operate within goal 3 of the community strategic framework.
He continued that the 2020-2024 strategic plan is categorized under three (3) broad programs wherein, theme 1 under programme one (1) talks about mandate of the parliament which is elections by direct universal suffrage, enhance the power of the parliament and gender inclusion; theme two (1) talks about Parliamentary diplomacy through inter-parliamentary corporation, relations with development partners and relations with civil society organization; and theme three (3) also talks about sensitization of community citizens through community programmes and policies, visibility of the ECOWAS Parliament, and parliament-people relationship.
Programme two (2) also focuses on community participation which also has theme one (1) that deals with community accountability through parliamentary oversight. This has to do with verifying the implementation of activities of programme implementing bodies of the community.
Theme two (2) talks about parliamentary opinion through consolidated community budget in all sectorial regional integration areas, administration, finance and budget etc.
The theme talks about peace, security, democracy and good governance through conflict prevention and management resolution, security of lives and properties, respect for the rule of law, free fair and credible elections, gender parity inclusion, and youth empowerment.
It has been revealed that the strategic plan 2020-2024, is an instrument meant to guide the conduct of the fifth Legislature. The strategic orientation contained therein is a directives of the community strategic framework. In order to implement this plan, an annual work plan would be drawn, giving further details of activities that are to be implemented each year. Furthermore it is meant to pave the way of measurement, results framework that is attached thereto to said plan that is subject to review during the four-year period if situation demands.