ECOWAS Parliament: A Budget Centred on Development Programmes

The opening of the second 2021 Extraordinary Session of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) took place on Monday, 18 October 2021 in Winneba, a town located 65 kilometres from the capital, Accra. 

The First Deputy Speaker of Parliament of Ghana, Joe Osei-Wusu, chaired this extraordinary session tasked with considering and adopting the 2022 budget of the Community Parliament.

  “I wish to emphasise that your programmes should alleviate the
sufferings of the citizens and reduce their burdens in these trying times, especially those adversely impacted by the ravages of the COVID 19 pandemic. We must continue to address poverty in all its ramifications and create job opportunities for the people”. Underscored Osei – Wusu. He urged the members of the Community Parliament to work tirelessly to advance regional integration.

This draft budget laid emphasis on priority programmes of the ECOWAS Parliament. Members of the Community Parliament adopted this budget estimated at about 30 million US dollars. A reading of the budget shows a zero per cent increase as compared to the 2021 budget. This 2022 budget prioritises programmes that have great impact and long lasting effects on the citizens of the Community, taking into disturbances caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and security problems confronting the region. 

“I wish to remind us, Honourable Members, that the significant importance of our efforts in addressing the monumental challenges at hand, is the fact that our region requires fundamental changes in every area”, highlighted the Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Sidie Mohamed Tunis. 

Furthermore, still on the 2022 budget, the Speaker of Parliament finally indicated that Parliamentarians “paid close attention to cost reduction in order to shift resources to other priority sectors, such as health”.