ECOWAS Parliament issues favorable opinion for the adoption of six Community acts

The Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), on Monday, 18 January 2021 issued a favorable opinion for the adoption of six Community acts which emanated from the ECOWAS Commission. This took place during the 2020 Second Ordinary Session which held via videoconference from 13 to 19 January, 2021.

The adopted acts refer to the geo-extractive observatory framework and the ECOWAS cadaster system; the decision on the ECOWAS geo-extractive database and the static information reporting framework; the directive relating to the adoption of the ECOWAS guidelines on corporate social investment (responsibility), localization and content development in the geo-extractive sector; the directive on ECOWAS monitoring and evaluation; the directive on the regional strategy for cybersecurity and the fight against cybercrime; the directive relating to the regional policy for the protection of critical infrastructure of ECOWAS.

The geo-extractive observatory framework and the ECOWAS cadaster system aim to create a harmonized regional mining cadaster management system that would interface with national cadastral systems. The ECOWAS geo-extractive database and the static information reporting framework aim to provide ECOWAS with a diverse set of data to provide relevant periodic information for the purposes of a quantitative assessment of the sector’s progress within the framework of the Community’s mineral resources development policy.

The ECOWAS guidelines on corporate social investment (responsibility), localization and content development in the geo-extractive sector are part of the Community’s vision to consolidate its achievements in terms of competitiveness of the mineral sector and its position of regional power for sustainable, diversified and integrated socio-economic development.

The ECOWAS monitoring and evaluation policy is a key element in the efficient management of Community projects and programs. It defines the tools which will facilitate the assessment of the progress made towards the achievement of the objectives set by the Community.

The regional cybersecurity and cybercrime strategy aim to adopt a coordinated regional approach to eliminate the harmful impacts of cyberattacks and cybercrime, and strengthen the cybersecurity ecosystem to protect the ECOWAS space.

The regional policy for the protection of critical infrastructure of ECOWAS defines a normative framework allowing Member States to ensure the security of their critical infrastructures by taking into account all the risks and threats, both physical and digital, in the face of the resurgence of reprehensible acts of all kinds related to the use of information and communication technologies.

The Parliamentarians lauded the initiative of the ECOWAS Commission and welcomed the advent of these Community acts and legal instruments for protecting the economic environment of the region.