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November 13, 2006
Second ECOWAS Parliament inaugurated
Abuja, Nov. 13, GNA - Dr Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Executive
Secretary of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS),
on Monday said the Sub-Region was on rebound with tremendous
opportunities despite the daunting challenges of unbalanced
development and pervasive poverty.
Addressing the opening of the nine-day inaugural session of
the Second ECOWAS Parliament at its headquarters in Abuja,
Dr Chambas observed that a new crop of Leaders had emerged
in West Africa, determined to build a culture of democracy,
transparency and accountability to achieve sustainable
development.
He said: "We are experiencing considerable success in
bringing down conflicts and instability by addressing the
root causes of conflict such as bad governance, impunity,
marginalization, zero tolerance for coup d'etats and
ensuring credible, free and fair elections."
The 108-member Chamber featuring 14 ECOWAS countries is to
elect a new Speaker; members of the Conference of Bureaus;
members of the Standing Committee; adopt new Rules of
Procedure of Parliament and adopt the 2007 Budget of the
Community Parliament.
Dr Chambas said regional programmes had been fashioned to
help to increase the fight against poverty to attain the
Millennium Development Goals even though their achievement
was fraught with initial difficulties.
He said there was also renewed interest in partnership based
on mutual accountability to deal with problems of
development involving all stakeholders both at the domestic
and foreign fronts.
Dr Chambas announced that the Heads of State and Governments
of ECOWAS had adopted a decision, which prescribed the
modalities and procedures to be followed by all institutions
of the Community in order to benefit from the advisory and
consultative status of the Parliament.
"The Decision will no doubt increase the opportunities for
frequent interaction between the Parliament and other
institutions of the Community and will ensure that the
institutions would receive optimal benefit from such
interaction and input or advice of this august body," Dr
Chambas said.
Mr Ken Nnamani, President of the Senate of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria, observed that one of the most pressing
challenges in the Leadership in the West Africa Sub-Region
was creating a huge market that could cater for its economic
development.
He said the level of intra-regional trade, which was
estimated at below five per cent, far below that 70 per cent
between European countries and 50 per cent for Asian
countries, had to be addressed before the objective of
economic development could be achieved.
Mr Nnamani called for an enlarged intra-regional trade as
mover of greater technological innovation and higher
productivity and called on Parliamentarians to fashion out
laws that would enhance the attainment of a common market
such as laws for free migration and emigration.
Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah Bonsu, Majority Chief Whip in Ghana's
Parliament and MP for Suame, who is leading Ghana's eight
member delegation, told the Ghana News Agency in an
interview that proceedings of the ECOWAS Parliament, which
holds two sessions in a year, would be gazetted at home with
the aim of improving governance.
Mr Mamadou Lamarana Diallo, the oldest member of the ECOWAS
Parliament, who chaired the opening ceremony, swore in the
Members of the new Parliament.
GNA
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