Debates of 26 Oct 2022

Hon Members, I have
not received any message from His
Excellency the President, and so we will
proceed to the item numbered 3 on the
Order Paper: Formal Communication by
the Speaker. Today, I will use that
opportunity to give my ruling on the matter
pending before the House - the issue of vacation of seat by a number of Hon
Members of Parliament, but specifically in
reference to the objection that was raised
by the Hon Leader of the House.

Hon Members, as you
may recall, during the last Sitting of the
Second Meeting of the Second Session,
that is, on the 28th day of July, 2022, Mr
Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, the Hon
Member of Parliament for Suame
Constituency, the Hon Majority Leader
and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs,
raised a preliminary objection as to the
listing of one Motion on the Order Paper
of 28th July, 2022. The said Motion was for
the adoption of the Report of the
Committee of Privileges on the alleged
breach of article 97(1)(c) of the 1992
Constitution of the Republic. The Hon
Majority Leader took the view that the
Motion should not have been listed on the
Order Paper and, thus, same should be
withdrawn. His submission was that the
determination of the Committee was
conclusive and that same should not be
subjected to the House at Plenary for a
debate and determination. To quote him:
“The Privileges Committee has presented its Report, and my
considered opinion, based on the
Constitution and not sentiments, is
that there should be that auto-
maticity once the Committee makes
a determination. I disagree that the
decision should be taken by the
House.”
The Hon Minority Leader, who is also
the Hon Member for Tamale South, Mr
Haruna Iddrisu, dissented and submitted
that like any other Committee of the
House, the Committee of Privileges' Report should be subjected to the Plenary
for a debate in consonance with Order 164
of the Standing Orders of Parliament,
which mandates the Committee to
“recommend” its findings to the House, which shall be put to a vote.

The Hon Minority Leader noted that it

was appropriate for the Report to be

captured on the Order Paper for considera-

tion by the House. He stated further that

there were precedence on this matter and

referred the House to the case of the former

Hon Member of Parliament (MP), Mr Eric

Amoateng.

After hearing from both the Hon

Majority Leader and the Hon Minority

Leader, and some Hon Members of

Parliament, I indicated that due to the

gravity of the issues raised on the matter, I

required some time to provide a reasoned

ruling. I accordingly deferred my ruling on

the matter to this Meeting. It is against this

backdrop that I am giving this ruling to

give clarity to the matters in contention and

to ensure that progress is made on this

matter.

The issues raised by the Hon Majority

Leader with respect to the listing of the

Motion are critical. They are very critical

issues of public interest, and I deem it my

sacred constitutional duty, as the Speaker

of the House, to provide clarity and bring

certainty to bear on this matter in

accordance to the 1992 Constitution and

the Standing Orders of the House.

The decision on whether or not a seat

is vacant is one that must be carefully

considered, and one for which our

Constitution and courts, as well as the rules

and best practices of other Parliaments,

have provided significant guidance. Our

job as a House will not be to usurp the

functions of any of the arms of Govern-

ment but simply to apply the law faithfully

and in accordance to the dictates of the

1992 Constitution of Ghana.

In view of the antecedents of the

objection raised by the Hon Majority

Leader, it is necessary to recount the facts

of the matter before us from its inception

up to and including the stage it has reached

before the House.

On 5th April, 2022, on the conclusion

of an attendance audit by the Table Office

based on a number of petitions, I referred

three Hon Members of Parliament to the

Committee of Privileges for their failure to

attend Parliament without the permission

in writing of the Speaker for fifteen (15)

Sitting days in a Meeting. The Hon

Members were: Mr Ken Ohene Agyapong,

MP for Assin Central; Mr Henry Quartey,

MP for Ayawaso Central; and Ms Sarah

Adwoa Safo, MP for Dome/Kwabenya.

Pursuant to article 97 (1) (c) of the 1992

Constitution, the mandate of the Committee

involves a determination of facts as to

whether the three Hon Members absented

themselves from attendance of Parliament

for 15 Sitting days and, if so, whether the

absence on the 15 days was based on a

permission in writing of the Speaker, and

in that case, the absence, if not based on

such permission, whether the three Hon

Members have reasonable explanations for

absenting themselves from those Sittings

of Parliament. Out of the abundance of

caution, it is important to reproduce the

constitutional and subsidiary rules that

govern how this House must act when an

Hon Member has absented himself or

herself from Parliament for 15 Sitting

days. I would start by quoting clause 1 of

article 97(1)(c) of the 1992 Constitution,

which provides as follows:

“(c) A Member of Parliament shall vacate his seat in Parliament if he is

absent, without the permission in

writing of the Speaker and he is

unable to offer a reasonable expla-

nation to the Parliamentary Committee

on Privileges from fifteen sittings of

a meeting of Parliament during any

period that Parliament has been

summoned to meet and continues to

meet.”

This provision is not new to our

jurisprudence. It started during the Dr

Nkrumah era but was captured differently

in the Constitutions. People would recall

the story of a number of Hon Members of

Parliament who left the country by virtue

of fear but were receiving their salaries for

two years, and that was the issue which led

to the initiation of this whole provision. I

am sure when you read the history, you

would know the names of these Hon

Members of Parliament. I will not tell you

today. Anybody who wants it can see me

in chambers. At the time, it was 20 Sitting

days in a Session. It was later reduced to

15 Sitting days, and they said it was 15

consecutive days; the 1992 Constitution

decided to reduce it further. They took

away the word “consecutive” and made it “15 Sitting days”. This time, it was not in a Session but in a Meeting. Therefore,

there is a vast difference. The Constitution

was also not using the word “vacate”; it was using the expression “ceased to be”. This should not be lost to any person when

analysing this article of the Constitution.

Hon Members, this is in my homely

opinion, a very straightforward provision.

It states that if three events occur, an MP

must vacate his or her seat. These are: (1)

unpermitted absence; (2) from 15 Sittings

in a Meeting; and (3) inability to provide a

reasonable explanation to the Parlia-

mentary Committee of Privileges. It is

evident from the wording of the article that

this is a conjunctive article. This means

that all the three events must be established

for an MP to vacate his or her seat.

The constitutional provision is supple-

mented, however, by Order 16(1) of the

Standing Orders of Parliament, with your

kind permission, I quote Standing Order

16(1).

“A Member shall not absent himself during a Meeting for more than

fifteen sittings without the permi-

ssion in writing of the Speaker. Any

Member infringing this Order shall

have his conduct referred to

Privileges Committee.”

Hon Members, furthermore, Order 18

of the Standing Orders provides:

“The seat of a Member shall be declared vacant by Mr. Speaker

under clause (1) (b) to (h) of Article

97 of the Constitution.”

Hon Members, there is a school of

thought that holds the view that once an

Hon Member of Parliament has been found

to have been absent from Parliament for

fifteen Sitting days without the permission

of the Rt Hon Speaker, the seat of that Hon

Member is vacant. This view found

expression in the submissions of a number

of Hon Members of this Parliament on this

matter. I totally disagree with this school

of thought because it is based on a partial

reading of the text of the 1992 Constitution

as contained in article 97 (1)(c), and I

referred to you a great ingredient.

Hon Members, if you read as a whole

article 97 (1) (c), contemplates that a seat

of an Hon Member which has been

determined, for example, through an audit

of the Attendance Book of the Table Office

or an Hon Member or any other person to

have been unoccupied by the absence from

Parliament of an incumbent Hon Member

of Parliament for fifteen Sitting days

without the permission in writing of the Rt

Hon Speaker, may still be saved if that Hon

Member provides a reasonable explanation

to the Committee of Privileges. The

findings of facts and evidence as well as

the recommendation of the Committee are

then presented to the House of Parliament

for its consideration.

Hon Members, the order, mode and

authority for the presentation of Business

and of the Report of the Committee to the

House is by a Motion or a Paper to be

moved or presented usually by the Hon

Chairman or an Hon Member of the

Committee, or as otherwise agreed to by

the House. This could be referred from

Orders 53, 54, 160 and 161 of the Standing

Orders.

Hon Members, the item numbered 55

on the Order Paper of Thursday, 28th July,

2022, reads as follows:

“That this Hon House adopts the Report of the Committee of

Privileges on the alleged breach of

Article 97 (1) (c) of the 1992

Constitution and Order 16 (1) of the

Standing Orders of Parliament by

three Members of Parliament during

the First Meeting of the Second

Session of the Eighth Parliament of

the Fourth Republic of Ghana.

(Chairman of the Committee)”

This means that the Chairman was

called upon to move that Motion.

Hon Members, as captured in the

introductory paragraphs of this ruling, the

Hon Majority Leader raised an objection to

the listing of the said item. In addition to

what has been captured above, he alluded

that the Motion ought not to have been

listed on the Order Paper as the

information that came from the Committee

of Privileges should have been submitted

as a Paper. He argued further that the

matter in issue should not be the subject

matter of a Motion as it does not require

the approval of Parliament.

The Hon Majority Leader added that

once the Committee of Privileges made a

determination as to the reasonableness or

otherwise of the excuse provided by the

Hon Members of Parliament for their

absence, an automatic determination was

made as to the vacancy of the seat in

question and thus, the House as a whole,

had no role to play. The Hon Majority

Leader relied on some provisions in the

1992 Constitution where the work of a

Committee of Parliament was not subject

to consideration of the House. According

to him, in those instances, upon the

conclusion of the work of the Committee,

this House becomes functus officio. The

Hon Majority Leader cited, among others,

the role that the Finance Committee plays

when the Committee authorises the

withdrawal of funds from the Contingency

Fund, and I quote:

“…whenever that committee is satisfied that there has arisen an

urgent or unforeseen need for

expenditure for which no other

provision exists to meet the need.”

See Article 177(1) of the 1992

Constitution.

Hon Members, for the purposes of

emphasis, the Hon Minority Leader argued

in favour of the listing of the Motion. In the

view of the Hon Minority Leader, based on

the precedents of the House, rather than

argue against the listing of the Motion, the

appropriate step to take was for the Hon

Majority Leader to request the Rt Hon

Speaker to call on the Hon Chairman of the

Committee to move the Motion on the

Floor since the matter had been referred to

the Committee and the Committee had

submitted its Report to the House.

Hon Members, the Hon Minority

Leader also relied on the statement on the

judgement of the Court of Appeal in the

case of Prof Stephen Kweku Asare v the

Attorney-General & 3 Ors (Unreported,

2008) (Suite number H1/65/07) (Court of

Appeal), and quoted:

“The Speaker referred the letter to the parliamentary Committee on

Privileges which met on 22nd

February, 2006 and recommended

to the House of Parliament on 2nd

March, 2006.”

The Hon Minority Leader took the

position that any recommendation from the

Committee of Privileges must be subjected

to the same threshold and held to the same

standard as was done in the case of the

former Hon Member of Parliament for

Nkoranza North, Mr Eric Amoateng.

The reply of the Hon Majority Leader

to the above submission of the Hon

Minority Leader is that the procedure

adopted by the House in the Eric

Amoateng's case is a bad precedent and

same should not be followed by this

House.

Hon Members, from the foregoing

summary of the preliminary objection of

the Hon Majority Leader and the response

to the objection by the Hon Minority

Leader, I could see clearly that two

pertinent issues had been raised for my

determination. These are:

(1) whether the Motion advertised as the item numbered 55 on the Order

Paper ought not to have been

admitted and listed as a Motion but

as a Paper for the information of

the House; and

(2) whether this House has power to consider and adopt the Report of

the Committee of Privileges on this

matter.

Hon Members, you may recall that I

delivered a ruling dated 20th January, 2021,

which dealt with the competence and the

admissibility of Motions. In that ruling, I

noted that the admissibility or otherwise of

a Motion for listing on the Order Paper was

the exclusive reserve of the Rt Hon

Speaker. My power to admit Motions is

provided for under Orders 78 and 79 (4) of

the Standing Orders as follows:

“(78) Unless any Order otherwise provides, notice shall be given of

any motion which it is proposed to

make, except the following —

(a) a motion relating to contempt of Parliament;

(b) a motion for the adjournment of the House or of a debate;

(c) a motion that a petition be read, printed or referred to a Select or

Standing Committee;

(d) a motion to amend a motion of which no notice is required or

which is debated twenty-four

hours after the notice has been

given;

(e) a motion that a Member be no longer heard;

(f) a motion for the reference of a Bill to a Committee;

(g) a motion for the Third Reading of a Bill;

(h) a motion for the withdrawal of a Bill;

(i) a motion for the withdrawal of a motion;

(j) a motion for the election of a Member to preside in the House;

(k) any motion the urgency of which is admitted by Mr Speaker”.

Hon Members, Order 79(4) of the

Standing Orders reads as follows:

“Every notice shall be submitted to Mr Speaker who shall direct that it

be printed in its original terms or

with such amendments as he shall

direct, or that it be returned to the

Member submitting it as being

inadmissible.”

It is clear from the above provisions

that the power to admit a Motion is vested

exclusively in the Rt Hon Speaker. It is

trite knowledge that the exercise of that

power by the Rt Hon Speaker is not subject

to challenge except by a substantive

Motion. You can refer to Order 98 of the

Standing Orders of Parliament, and go

through the usual practice of the House. A

mere objection without notice on the floor

of this House is not a sufficient basis to

overturn the decision to admit a Motion

such as the Motion advertised as the item

numbered 55 on the Order Paper of 28th

July, 2022.

Be that as it may, the Hon Majority

Leader's objection seeks to question the propriety of the decision to admit the

Motion numbered 55 on the said Order

Paper as defined in Order 7 of the Standing

Orders which defines a “Motion” as:

“motion” means a proposal made by a Member that Parliament or a

Committee thereof do something,

order something to be done, or

express an opinion concerning some

matter;”

In simple terms, and in accordance

with accepted practices and conventions of

this House, a Motion is a mechanism for

decision-making by the House because it

sets in motion the process for arriving at a

decision. Such a Motion may be admitted

by the Rt Hon Speaker to be moved, if

before the commencement of the Sitting,

the Hon Member submits to the Rt Hon

Speaker, a written notification of the

matter to be raised.

When the Rt Hon Speaker determines

that, a Motion on a specific matter be

moved, such a Motion would be

considered admitted and the Hon Member

shall be allowed to move the Motion

accordingly.

The Hon Majority Leader further

submitted forcefully that the Motion listed

as the item numbered 55 on the Order

Paper is incompetent and ought to have

been laid in the form of a Paper for the

information of the House. Implicit in this

argument is the notion that when the

Report of a Committee is laid as a Paper

then its' content is determinative, and that

this House cannot purport to take any

further action on it by way of a debate and

vote. This dichotomy that the Hon

Majority Leader sought to draw between a

Paper and a Motion is, with all due respect,

a false dichotomy. It is a comparison that

does not yield accurate analytical

outcomes. I will proceed to demonstrate

why this is so.

The Standing Orders of this House

provide for the Presentation of Papers. In

terms of Order 74, Papers may be

presented only by the Rt Hon Speaker, the

Hon Chairman of a Committee, an Hon

Member, or an Hon Minister. The mode of

presentation of Papers is governed by

Order 75 which provides, among others,

that:

(1) “As soon as sufficient copies of a Paper for distribution to Members

have been received in the Office of

the Clerk notice of the presentation

of that Paper may be placed on the

Order Paper, and as soon as Mr

Speaker announces "Papers for

Presentation" the Paper shall be

deemed to have been laid on the

Table.

(2) If so desired by the person

presenting a Paper, a short expla-

natory statement may be made by

him upon its presentation.”

The tenor of the provisions on the

Presentation of Papers suggests to me that

the latitude of action regarding delibera-

tion, debate, and decision is extremely

restricted when Papers are laid. However,

it does not mean, as the Hon Majority

Leader sought to imply, that this House

cannot take steps to adopt or approve such

a "Paper" by a Motion. As a matter of

practice and convention of some Parlia-

ments, Papers are laid for the information

of the House and may not be the subject

matter of deliberation, debate, and

decision. However, a Paper that is in the

form of a Report of a Committee of this

House may be laid and debated using the

method of a Motion, save expressly and

specifically except by law.

This position is buttressed by the

requirements of the Standing Orders of this

House, particularly Order 16l(1) and (2)

which stipulates that:

(1) “The recommendations of a Committee shall be presented to

the House in the form of a

report”

(2) At any time after the report has been presented to the House, a

motion may be moved by the

Chairman of the Committee for

the acceptance of the Report."

This provision would definitely be

rendered inutile if we were to accept the

position adumbrated by the Hon Majority

Leader.

Moreover, precedents from other

jurisdictions support the view that I have

taken on this matter. For instance, a

publication of the Parliament of Australia

titled, “House of Representatives Practice (Seventh Edition)” relating to the committee of that House known as the

“Committee of Privileges and Members' Interests” and that Report details the practice following the laying of a Report of

the Committee as follows:

"On presentation of the committee's

report to the House by the chair, the

practice is for the report to be

ordered to be made a Parliamentary

Paper. The House may then order

that it be taken into consideration at

the next sitting or on a specified day.

A motion or motions may be moved

declaratory of the House's view on

the committee's report and

recommendations and in respect of

the House's proposed action."

Also refer to the practice in New

Zealand; India, Lok Sabha; United

Kingdom, House of Commons; Canada;

and the United States of America. I have

taken the trouble to go through all these

rules.

Having disposed of the question

whether the Report of the Committee of

Privileges ought to have come by way of a

Motion or be laid as a Paper, I would now

turn my attention to the substantive issue

of whether the House, Sitting in plenary,

can consider the report of the Committee

for purposes of its adoption. Hon

Members, you may recall that in my

former statement on matters relating to the

vacancy of the seat of an MP for reason of

absence from Parliament, I provided a

context on how the House ought to proceed

on the matter of absenteeism, and what

steps should be taken in that respect.

After a careful review of the constitu-

tional provisions, our Standing Orders, a

case law, and the rules and practice of

other Parliaments around the world on a

matter of absenteeism of a Member of

Parliament from Sittings of Parliament, I

noted that an MP or any person would be

estopped from raising an issue of

absenteeism after the Meeting. Thus, an

MP or any person desirous of doing same

must act timeously during the course of the

Meeting that the Member is alleged to have

absented him or herself from the Sittings.

I also noted that the combined effect of

our Constitution, Standing Orders and case

law provides a certain process to be

followed when it comes to the notice of the

House that a Member had absented him or

herself from the Sittings of Parliament in a

manner that is inconsistent with the letter

and spirit of article 97(1)(c) of the 1992

Constitution. For the avoidance of doubt, I

would reiterate what I highlighted in that

statement, and particularly refer to

paragraph 19 of the statement. It reads as

follows:

“In the light of the combined reading of the provisions in the

Constitution and the Standing

Orders above, coupled with a

decision of the Court of Appeal on

the question of when a seat of a

Member of Parliament is vacant by

reason of absenteeism, the following

processes should be complied with:

1. The Member must have been absent from a Meeting for 15

Sittings in that Meeting without the

permission of the Speaker in

writing based on the evidence from

the Votes and Proceedings of

Parliament.

2. The fact of the absence of the Member without the permission of

the Speaker may be raised on the

floor of Parliament by a Member,

and the matter referred to the

Committee of Privileges for

consideration and report to the

House.

3. The Member so referred shall be required to offer an explanation for

the absence to the Committee of

Privileges which shall consider

whether the explanation is

reasonable.

4. The Committee of Privileges, after consideration, shall recommend to

the House such action as the

Committee may consider appro-

priate.

5. The House shall vote on the recom-

mendation of the Committee. Where in the event that the Committee's recommendation to the House is to the effect that the Member's explanation is reason- able, and the House adopts that recommendation, the Member's seat shall not be declared vacant. Where in the event that the Committee's recommendation to the House is to the effect that the Member's explanation is unreason- able and the House adopts that

recommendation, the Member's seat shall be declared vacant by Mr Speaker. Where Mr Speaker has declared a seat vacant by reason of absenteeism, the Clerk to Parliament shall, within seven days of the declaration, notify the Electoral Commission for the necessary processes for a by- election to commence.”

Having regard to the process outlined

above, the Committee of Privileges considered the matter of absenteeism involving the three Members who have absented themselves from Sittings of the House in a Meeting without the permission, in writing, of the Speaker. I would give a fuller explanation of the role each of the actors plays in this matter, if necessary, at the conclusion of this matter suffice for this purpose, to restrict myself to the role of the Committee of Privileges.

The Committee has a singular mandate

in respect of these matters, and that is, to establish that the Member absented him or herself from the Sitting of Parliament for 15 days in the Meeting without the permission of the Speaker in writing, enquire into the reasonableness or otherwise of the explanation offered by the affected Member or Members and to report to the House. Standing Order 7 defines a Standing Committee, that is the Committee of Privileges, as the Committee appointed under article 103(1) of the1992 Constitution to enquire into and report on such matters as may be referred to it from time to time, or on a continuous basis for the declaration of Parliament.

The Committee of Privileges is a Commi-

ttee of Parliament constituted pursuant to article 103 of the 1992 Constitution. As a

Committee of Parliament, the way in which the Committee conducts itself is regulated by the Standing Orders of the House. It is provided by article 110(1) of the 1992 Constitution that:

“Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, Parliament may, by

standing orders, regulate its own

proceedings".

Article 97 (l)(c) stipulates the

conditions under which the seat of an MP

may be vacant. Put differently, once the

Member has:

(a) been absent from Parliament for 15 Sittings of a Meeting of

Parliament;

(b) not obtained the permission of Mr Speaker in writing to be absent;

and

(c) cannot offer a reasonable explana- tion to the Parliamentary Commi-

ttee on Privileges,

the Hon Member automatically vacates the

seat. This is the position that was endorsed

in the case of Professor Stephen Kaku

Asare v the Attorney General & 3 others

(Unreported, 2008) (Suit No Hl/65/07)

(Court of Appeal), and I would want to

quote what they said:

“The Plaintiff/Appellant (hereinafter referred to as the Appellant) contends

that once a member absents himself

from Parliament without explanation

for more than 15 sittings in this case,

that member's seat automatically becomes vacant by operation of law.

This argument is sound in law and I

accept it.”

On the other hand, Order 161 of the

Standing Orders provides:

“(1) The recommendations of a Committee shall be presented to

the House in the form of a

report.

(2) At any time after the report has

been presented to the House a

motion may be moved by the

Chairman of the Committee for

the acceptance of the Report.”

Our Standing Orders specifically

require that the recommendations of a

Committee must be subject to the

consideration of the House and that the

Plenary plays an important role in

choosing to adopt or reject the

recommendations. The rationale for this

structure is that Committees of Parliament

are microcosms and extensions of the

House as a whole; they are handmaidens

whose core constitutional function is to

assist Parliament, in the language of article

103(1) of the Constitution, in “the effective discharge of its function”.

There are, however, a few exceptions

to this general rule. As noted by the Hon

Majority Leader, articles 106 (13) and 177

provide instances where the Committee of

Parliament's work operates to automa- tically bind the House, and no

consideration, whatsoever, is required by

the Plenary in these matters. May I add

that it is also the case with the recommend-

dations of the Committee on Members

Holding Offices of Profit. In such

instances, the Constitution specifically

says so; it is very clear and clearly stated

in the Constitution.

Most parliamentary decisions are

made by the House, acting on the

recommendations of one of its

Committees. It does not follow that all

decisions in Parliament must be done that

way. Where the Constitution itself

specifies a particular process for deciding,

then, it is that process that must be

followed. This is because general things do

not derogate from special things. However,

in contrast with these instances cited, there

is nothing, and I mean nothing, expressly

stated or necessarily implied in article

97(1)(c) to the effect that the conclusion of

the work of the Committee of Privileges

also concludes the matter, and no action

may be taken by the House on the findings

and recommendations of the Committee.

Furthermore, the instances cited are

not referrals from the House to the

Committee of the House. Article 177, for

instance, indicates that the advances from

the Contingency Fund may be authorised

by the Finance Committee once the

Committee is satisfied that there has arisen

an urgent or unforeseen need for

expenditure for which no other provision

exists to meet the need.

The Plenary in this case, is not seized

with jurisdiction to make a reference or

determination on the decision of the

Finance Committee; in fact, the

Constitution says the Committee in charge

of financial matters.

The distinction between this provision

and article 97 (1)(c) is that, in the case of

the former, no referral is made by the

House in any way to the Finance

Committee. The Hon Minister responsible

for Finance, in making a request for an

advance from the Contingency Fund, is not

required to come to the House but can

submit his request to the Finance

Committee. The House plays no role in the

process. The Constitution mandates the

Minister for Finance after the authorisation

of the Finance Committee to, as soon as

possible, present a supplementary estimate

for the purpose of replacing the amount so

advanced. That is what is stated in the

Constitution, and that is very different

from the position in article 97 (1)(c).

On the contrary, in relation to the

matter before us, the absenteeism of the

three Hon Members is referred to the

Committee in accordance with article 97

(1)(c) after the allegation that they were

absent for 15 days without permission in

writing by the Speaker. A Committee of

the House is then called upon to enquire

into the allegations and report to the House

for a decision.

I find the position canvassed strongly

by the Hon Majority Leader as untenable

for the simple reason that where the

framers of the Constitution intended that

the Committee be clothed with exclusive

jurisdiction on a matter without reference

to the House, it has expressly (as in the

case of article 106(13) and (177) indicated

so within the text of the Constitution. To

the extent that a similar express mandate is

not conferred on the Committee of

Privileges in respect of matters arising on

article 97 (1)(c), Parliament's procedure with respect to the Committees must of

necessity apply. To imply any mandate

into article 97 (1)(c) is one I am not

prepared to do.

Pursuant to article 110 of the

Constitution, my understanding is that,

where the Constitution does not provide a

procedure, Parliament may regulate the

procedure within that space as long as it

does not offend the Constitution. It is in

accordance with this power that Parliament

captured the details of article 71(c) in

Standing Order 16(1) which is to the effect

that once an Hon Member is alleged to be

in breach of the provision, his conduct is

referred to the Committee of Privileges for

inquiry.

For the purpose of reiterating my

humble view, once a referral has been

made therefore, the report of the

Committee does not complete the inquiry

into the matter; the report of the

Committee of Privileges, just like any

other Committee, is subject to the

consideration of the House by way of a

Motion.

Again, I am inspired and convinced by

this position of the law, the provision of the

Constitution, and the rules of procedure

and practice of the United Kingdom, India,

Canada, New Zealand, and Australia.

In conclusion, Hon Members, as I have

noted in this ruling, the decision as to

whether to admit the Motion is the

exclusive preserve of the Speaker [Hear!

Hear!]. In view of the foregoing, the

House is well within its rights to receive

and consider the report of the Committee,

and make a determination arising out of the

recommendations. In the circumstances, it

is my ruling that the Motion was rightfully

admitted and the report of the Committee

is subject to the consideration of the

House. [Hear! Hear!] It goes without

saying that the preliminary objection of the

Hon Majority Leader to the admissibility

of the Motion for consideration of the

report of the Committee is hereby

Hon Members, I did indicate that I

would give my understanding at the end of

the debate on this matter, and I would give

you copious referral notes on this issue. It

is my humble view that even what the

Clerks-at-the-Table do in trying to

compute the days that Hon Members

absent themselves is not final; it is for the

Committee to investigate and establish the

facts.

Again, the fact that the Speaker, or is

alleged that the Speaker has not given

permission in writing is also not final;

evidence must be produced before the

Committee. The last thing is for the

Committee — the fact that the Committee says that something is reasonable or not

does not make it final; the House has to go

through it because the mandate given to an

Hon Member of Parliament in terms of

representation is so crucial that it cannot be

left to the subjective view of any person or

group of people but the whole House — [Hear! Hear!].

Hon Members, please, the Table

Office will accordingly list the Motion and

this House will continue to deliberate and

debate on it and take a final decision. I so

Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu -- rose —

Hon Members, I
recognise the Hon Majority Leader; I see
that he is on his feet.
Majority Leader (Mr Osei Kyei-
Mensah-Bonsu): Mr Speaker, I thank you
very much for expressing what you
indicated was going to be an informed
ruling.
Mr Speaker, you have sent us on a very
labyrinthine, tortious and torturous
journey and, clearly, I must state that I did
not know where you were taking this
House.
Mr Speaker, by way of conclusion, you
said the House should go through the
recommendations of the Committee in
order to make a determination. I refer you
to what you said earlier, that the House
should not go through —

Hon Majority Leader,
my ruling is not subject to debate — [Interruption]— You can say you disagree with me and you know what to do, simple
but you cannot quote my ruling in trying to
state your position on that. That is
definitely not allowed by our rules.

Mr Speaker,
thank you very much. You have read your
ruling which I consider very — [Uproar]—

Hon Majority Leader —

Mr Speaker,
will you not listen to me? I have had the
patience to listen to you, you must also

Mr Speaker, you have made a ruling

which I totally disagree with; I think it

does not sit with the Constitution and we

must be able to comment on that — [Uproar] —

Hon Members, the Hon
Majority Leader is entitled to totally
disagree with me, so allow him to say it
and then, he knows what to do. So yes,
Hon Majority Leader, you can go on.

Mr Speaker,
precisely, I know what to do. I am
expressing my discomfort with this
unfortunate ruling that you have made. I
totally disagree, I think it does not sit with
the Constitution and with your own earlier
Statement that you made in this House
relating to this same matter; it is very
inconsistent.
Mr Speaker, to that extent I am serving
notice- we know what to do - that we will come with a substantive Motion to
challenge your ruling which I find very
obsequious and it does not sit with this
House.
Mr Speaker, thank you — [Uproar]—

Hon Majority Leader, as
I stated early on, you are totally entitled to
disagree with me but to describe my ruling
as “unfortunate” is a choice of word that by our rules — [Interruption] — read Standing Order 93.
The fact that you disagree with me
does not mean that your disagreement is
sacrosanct. I would never use the word

“unfortunate” on your disagreement. I believe that word offends Standing Order

93 and I would ask you to withdraw that

word and apologise to me — [Hear! Hear!].

Mr Speaker,
is it the first time that the word
“unfortunate” has been used in this House — [Uproar]— or you would want to reset the rules of this House. When I say that this
statement is “unfortunate”, is that offensive?
Mr Speaker, with the greatest of
respect, I would want you to indicate to me
in context, what is offensive about saying
that I find your ruling “unfortunate”? On almost a daily basis, this word has been
used in this House. Is it the case that you
would want to reset the rules of this
House?
Mr Speaker, I am not angelic but if you
tell me that in the context of usage, you
find it, maybe, unparliamentary and I have
to withdraw, I will but I do not find it
unparliamentary. However, I am in your
hands and I will listen further to you.

Hon Majority Leader,
thank you so much. You would recall
when you were the Hon Minority Leader
and Hon Dominic Nitiwul was your
Deputy, I was the Hon Majority Leader
and I used the words: “You do not understand” in trying to explain a matter and your Deputy objected to my choice of
words. That meant it was an insult to your
intelligence. The Rt Hon Doe Adjaho who
was presiding called on me to withdraw
that and apologise and I did. I am sure you
would recollect that because you have a
sharp memory — [Laughter] —

Mr
Speaker, words have meanings in the
context of usage. That is why I am urging
you, in the context of usage, what is
unparliamentary about me saying that I
find your ruling “unfortunate”.

I have only decided to
engage with you and give you this latitude
because you have been with me for a long
time and when I was the Hon Minority
Leader in the year 2001, I think you were
the Hon Deputy Majority Whip. I went
round the whole world with you, always
leading you [Interruption]; I expected that
now that you have learnt so much, you are
entitled to always disagree and argue with
me, but I am still older than you, and you
will always remain my friend until
doomsday; whether you agree or disagree
with me, whether you are fighting with me
or not, you will still remain my friend.

With this, we move to the item

numbered 4 on the Order Paper — Correction of Votes and Proceedings and

the Official Report.

Votes and Proceedings and the

Official Report

Hon Members, we
would look at the Votes and Proceedings
of Tuesday, 25th October, 2022.
Page 1 … 9 —
Mr Oscar Liwaal — rose —

Yes, Hon Member for
Yunyoo?

Mr Speaker, the item
numbered 37 on page 8.

Mr Liwaal Oscar?

Yes. I was present
yesterday, but my name has been marked
absent.

Yes, Clerks-at-the-
Table, kindly take note.
So, we would now move to page 9.
Page 9 … 17 —
Mr Frank Annoh-Dompreh — rose —

Hon Members, in the
absence of any further corrections, the
Votes and Proceedings —
Sorry? Yes, Majority Chief Whip?

Mr Speaker, if
you may indulge me, I tried to catch your
attention. On page 16, I was present at the
Business Committee Meeting; I just
realised that my name is missing.

Yes, Clerks-at-the-
Table, please, crosscheck from the Reports
of the Clerk to the Committee and do the
right thing.
Hon Members, in the absence of any
further corrections, the Votes and
Proceedings of Tuesday, 25th October,
2022, are hereby adopted as the true record
of proceedings.
Mr Frank Annoh-Dompreh — rose —

Yes, Hon Majority
Chief Whip?

Mr Speaker,
we are ready to take the item numbered 8,
at the Commencement of Public Business
—

Hon Members, there is a
request from the Majority Chief Whip for
us to move straight away to Public
Business. Minority Leadership, what do
you say to the request?

Mr Speaker, at the
pre-Sitting meeting, there was this
understanding that we could take Reports
of the Pan-African Parliament and the
ECOWAS Parliament, and then we could
adjourn afterwards. So, it is in line with the
discussions held before we came in.

Hon Members, at the
Commencement of Public Business, item
numbered 6 — Presentation of Papers. The following Papers are to be presented —
Mr Annoh-Dompreh — rose —

No? So, which one
should we go to?

Mr Speaker,
with respect, we are to take the item
numbered 8 on page 3 of the Order Paper.

Hon Members, we move
straight to the item numbered 8 — Motions: That this honourable House
adopts the Report of the Representatives of
the Parliament of Ghana to the Fourth
Ordinary Session of the Fifth Parliament of
the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) held

from 27th June to 2nd July, 2022, in

Midrand, South Africa.

Yes, Leader of the delegation?

I hope the Hon Second
Deputy Speaker is ready to take over the
Chair?
Yes, you may go on.

Mr Speaker, I beg to
move, that this House adopts the Report of
the Representatives of the Parliament of
Ghana to the Fourth Ordinary Session of
the Fifth Parliament of the Pan-African
Parliament (PAP) held from 27th June to
2nd July, 2022, in Midrand, South Africa.
11. 51 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I will make reference to
the headlines and I urge the Department of
Official Report to incorporate the whole
Report as same has been extensive.
1.0 Introduction
1.1 In accordance with Article
14(2) of the Protocol to the Treaty
establishing the African Economic
Community Relating to the Pan-African
Parliament (PAP), the Fourth Ordinary
Session of the Fifth Parliament of the Pan-
African Parliament was held from 27th
June to 2nd July, 2022, in Midrand, South
Africa.
1.2 The under-listed Members of the Pan-African Parliament from Ghana attended the
session:
i. Hon Joseph Osei-Owusu 1st Deputy Speaker
ii. Hon Frank Annoh-Dompreh Majority Chief Whip
iii. Hon Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka Minority Chief Whip
iv. Hon Collins Dauda Member
v.
Hon Ophelia Mensah
Member
1.3 The Delegation was accompanied
by the Schedule Officer, Mr Eric Owusu
Mensah, Ag. Deputy Clerk (Finance,
Administration and General Services).

2.0 Official Opening of the Session

The Session was held under the

auspices of the African Union Commi-

ssion and was chaired by H. E. Moussa

Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African

Union Commission.

He welcomed Members back to the

House after the abrupt suspension of the

last Session as a result of the chaos

associated with the intended election of the

Members of the Bureau. He expressed his

appreciation for the massive presence of

Members at the Session, which was a proof

of the seriousness of the Members towards

the work of the Bureau.

He was hopeful that Hon Members

were ready to elect Members of the

Bureau, Bureaux of Committees, and

Caucuses during the Session and wished

them a fruitful deliberation.

3.0 Administration of Oath

In line with Rule (9) of the Rules of

Procedure of the PAP, seventy-two (72)

Members took and subscribed to the Oath

of Office.

4.0 Address by the Chairperson of the

African Union Commission, H. E.

Moussa Faki Mahamat

4.1 He expressed his appreciation for

the honour done him to address the august

House, and reiterated his total commitment

to the progress of the PAP.

He mentioned that the Constitutive Act

of the African Union has given PAP a

privileged place in the institutional

architecture of the Union. However,

despite the declared will of the Heads of

State and Government to place it third after

the Assembly of Heads of State and

Government, and the Executive Council,

the Pan-African Parliament had remained

essentially consultative, rather aloof from

the requirements of an institution and law-

making body. The full participation of

African people in the development and

economic integration of the Continent

through their representatives has fallen

short of expectations. He said that the

Members and Governments have a long

way to go, so that the PAP would find itself

in the best possible condition to fulfil its

noble mission. This noble mission, he said,

was precisely the one that would dictate

the ethics and moral virtues that must

inspire Members' actions and political

strategies.

4.2 It is well known that Parliaments

throughout the World are important places

for debates and confrontation of ideas.

These debates, from time to time, take on

a heated character, but debating without

fighting is the hallmark of parliamentary

life. In certain circumstances, the most

established social codes and norms of

behaviour would be challenged in a

sudden, brutal, and unexpected manner,

but moderation, balance, restraint, and

self-control should always be the

prerogative of those who belong to such an

honourable and prestigious institution.

He mentioned that the unfortunate

events that took place in the Chamber on

27th May and 1st June, 2021, on the

aborted elections of Members to the

Bureau of the Pan-African Parliament had

brought the image of the Institution and

that of the Continent into great disrepute.

The unbearable scenes broadcast on

television and on social networks had left

African citizens dumbfounded by such a

debasement of the Parliament. These acts

of transgression and dishonour have been

condemned across the Continent.

4.3 His Excellency, the Chairperson of

the AUC indicated that in his capacity as

the legal representative of the Union and

guarantor of the proper functioning of all

its Organs and Institutions, he requested

the suspension of the activities of PAP

until further notice. Of course, in that kind

of situation, it was necessary to sort out the

facts and establish who was responsible for

what.

Clearly, not all the Parliamentarians

participated in the brawls that happened on

27th May and 1st June, 2021. He intimated

that he was aware that many of the

Members had themselves condemned and

disassociated themselves from these

incidents. He emphasised that the Parlia-

ment includes some of the best African

political elites. It includes Presidents of

National Assemblies, Presidents of

Senates, former Prime Ministers, former

Ministers, Presidents of Nation

Parliamentary groups and many others,

and the enormity of these scenes must have

broken their hearts.

He indicated to Members that the time

had come for these sad and dark pages of

the history of the Pan-African Parliament

to be put behind and to start afresh. The

time had come to return to the noble

behaviour that had long characterised the

Pan-African Parliamentarians which has

made the African Union proud. The time

had finally come for fraternal dialogue, in

a calm climate, to take precedence over

confrontation.

4.4 He stated that the resumption of

parliamentary activities, so desired by

most of the Members, obviously required

the election of a new Bureau. He said that

much had already been written about the

election. The five Regional Caucuses had

spoken at length during the consultations

held in Midrand for the Southern African

Caucus and in Addis Ababa for the

Central, North, East, and West African

Caucuses. The positions of the various

parties were well known, particularly on

the principle of rotation. The legal debate

on this issue was healthy and useful.

He said it was, indeed, regrettable that

the Protocol establishing the rotation had

not yet come into force, due to the lack of

sufficient number of ratifications. It was

also undeniable that rotation is a

fundamental principle of equity and justice

that govern most of the Institutions of the

AU.

The Chairperson recalled how the

Union of the Conference of Heads of State

and Government had to cancel and re-run

the elections for the post of Director

General of African Union Development

Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) simply because

all the leading candidates were from the

region of the outgoing Director.

He asked, what should be given

priority? The legal formalism resulting

from the delays in ratifying a text or the

attachment to a founding principle? What

should we stick to? Form or substance in

this controversy?

4.5 He indicated that at this turning

point in the history of the Continent, it

seemed to him more relevant to stick to the

essentials, which was to gather around our

convergences by minimising our

differences, and to align ourselves behind

our ideals of solidarity, sharing, and

concord in order to better prepare

ourselves to face together, the enormous

challenges facing our Continent. These

include the health challenge with the

COVID-19 pandemic and its serious

economic and social consequences; the

security challenge with the continuing

advance of terrorism and its trail of deaths

and shattered lives; the climatic challenge

with the terrible drought and the multiple

floods that are hitting certain parts of the

Continent, causing desolation and despair;

the food challenge with the already visible

consequences of the war in Ukraine; the

political and democratic challenge, an

unprecedented situation on the Continent,

with four Member States suspended.

These multiple challenges, he said,

were of utmost importance to the

conscience of the representatives of the

African people. Faced with these colossal

challenges and the need for general

mobilisation, the African Union cannot

afford the luxury of a crisis that persists

within one of its key Organs.

He mentioned that Executive

Decisions 1128 and 1148 taken by the

Executive Council and approved by the

Assembly of Heads of State and

Government prescribed the holding of

elections to the Bureau of the Pan-African

Parliament on the principle of rotation to

enable those of the two regions that had not

yet chaired the Bureau to do so. These

decisions did not aim at erasing the legal

texts in force within the Parliament. Their

sole and ultimate objective was to unblock

a situation that had become untenable, and

these must be respected and applied. An

exceptional situation requires an

exceptional solution. It is a question of the

ultimate responsibility of the supreme

Organ of the Union, the Conference of

Heads of State and Government and must

be applied in earnest.

H. E. Mahamat told Hon Members that

there would be no winners or losers in the

process. It would be a collective victory

the victory of reason, of surpassing

oneself, and of fair play, and the victory of

the Africa all of them wanted.

Africa will triumph by transcending

what Mandela called the human frailties of

selfishness, inability to forgive and

revenge. He called on Members to honour

his memory, especially as they were in

South Africa.

Concluding his address, he invited all

to go to the polls to carry out the electoral

duty and thus open a new page in the life

of the Institution and in the progress of the

Organisation.

5.0 Election of Members of the Burea

As was indicated in our Report which

was adopted in the House on 5th August,

2021, the election of the Bureau that was

scheduled for the previous Session could

not be held due to the chaos that

characterised the election on the principle

of rotation and which necessitated the

abrupt suspension of the Session. Hence, it

created a vacuum in the administration of

the Pan-African Parliament for one year.

After the suspension of the House and,

taking into consideration the reason for the chaos at the previous Sitting, the Heads of State and Government of the African Union directed the AUC to hold consultations with all the Regional Caucuses with the aim of resolving the issue of geographical rotation in the election of the Members of the Bureau. In line with the directive, the AUC engaged Members of the Southern Caucuses in Midrand, South Africa, and met Members of the other four Regional Caucuses in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

It was on the basis of the agreement

reached at the engagement with the Caucuses that the AUC recalled Hon Members for the Session. The election of the Members of the Bureau was supervised by the AU Legal Counsel who provided the Guidelines for the election.

The AU Legal Counsel recalled the

decision of the Executive Council EX. CL/Dec.1128 (XXXIX) which directed the Office of the Legal Counsel to conduct and manage the election process and modalities with the rules, regulations and established practices of the Union as well as relevant decisions of the Executive Council on the principle of rotation.

He mentioned that the EX.CL/Dec.1128

(XXXIX) reaffirmed the Executive Council's

decision on the principle of rotation as enshrined in the PAP Protocol, previous Resolutions of PAP and established practices of the Union. The Executive Council had, therefore, directed that the election be held in line with the principle of rotation and that only regions that had not previously held the position of President of PAP were eligible to present candidates for the election.

The President of the African Union

Commission further stated that the principle of geographical rotation was an established practice of the Union which obliges the Union and its Organs to ensure that each region is elected as a member of a Bureau on a rotational basis. He noted that the composition of a Bureau represents the five defined regions of the Union and in consequence, the principle of rotation seeks to ensure that each region has the right to assume the five leadership roles in a given rotation.

For the position of President of PAP,

he indicated that only the Northern and Southern Caucuses were eligible to present candidates. On that note, the election for the President was conducted. Only the Southern Caucus presented a candidate in the person of Hon Fortune Zephania Charumbira, who was elected the President of PAP.

The elections of the four Vice-Presidents were also conducted. Below are the names and

the Regions they represent:

I. Hon Prof Massouda Mohamed Laghdaf (1% Vice) - Northern

II. Hon Dr Gayo Ashebir (2¢ Vice) - Eastern

III. Hon Lucia Martia Memndes Goncalves dos Passos - (36 Vice)

West Africa

IV. Hon Anglo Ndoutoune (4 Vice) - Central Africa

The election of Committee Chairpersons,

Vice-Chairpersons, Rapporteurs, and Regional Caucuses were also held. The Delegation is delighted to announce that Hon (Alhaji) Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka from Ghana was elected the Chairperson of the Finance Committee.

6.0 Official Closing

The Session was formally closed on

Thursday, 30th June, 2022, by the President of PAP, Hon Chief Charumbira. Prior to that, he appealed to Members to rebrand themselves to shed off the bad image that the Parliament earned as a result of the behaviour of Members at the last Session. His expectation was that since the Parliament was a Continental Parliament, Members would comport themselves better than in their home Parliaments.

He advised Hon Members not to drift

backwards again and assured the House that his Bureau would be transparent in all aspects of the administration of the Parliament.

He once again thanked Hon Members

for electing him as the President of the Bureau and expressed his sincere appreciation to the Chairperson of the AUC and the AU Legal Counsel as well as other Officials of the AU who made it possible for PAP to meet to elect Members of the Leadership.

He was grateful to the Government and

people of South Africa for their continuous support for the work of the Parliament.

Despite the formal closing of the

Session, meetings of Committees and the Caucuses continued until Saturday 2nd July, 2022, when the Session finally ended.

7.0 Conclusion

In conclusion, the Delegation expresses

its appreciation to the Heads of State and

Government of the African Union, the

Executive Council, the AUC, and all who

played a role to bring finality to the issue

of geographical rotation in the election of

Members of the Bureau of the Pan-African

Parliament. It is the expectation of the

Delegation that the PAP would work

diligently towards the achievement of the

objectives of the PAP to sustain its

existence.

The Delegation hereby recommends to

the House to adopt its Report.

Respectfully submitted.

11.53 a.m. —

Very
well.
Yes, Hon Minority Chief Whip?
Minority Chief Whip (Alhaji
Mohammed-Mubarak Munataka): Mr
Speaker, I beg to second the Motion and in
doing so, I thank the Chairman for the
presentation to the House. I must admit
that the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) did
not take it easy in coming to this
conclusion that the Chairman just reported
because we had a terrible challenge in the
PAP, where we had precedence, which
were not part of our rules. It came to a
point where what we usually call rotation
in PAP, which amounts to the five zones
demarcated for Africa was not being

followed, and it created a huge challenge

for us.

Mr Speaker, in PAP, the African

continent has been zoned into five: we

have the Northern Caucus, West African

Caucus, East African Caucus, the Central

African Caucus and the Southern Caucus.

When the PAP was established in 2006, it

started with the East African

Representative as the president, Madam

Gertrude Mongella. When she was

leaving, it came with some rancorous, and

the presidency went to Central Africa, Mr

Idriss Deby from Chad. After he departed,

the presidency came to the West African

Caucus, Hon Bertle Amadu. When he was

leaving, one of his vice presidents, Hon

Nkudu, insisted to take over, but he was

from the Central Africa and that became a

big problem. In so many discussions, and

even with resolutions, we have been

agreed that we would try and follow the

rotation. Unfortunately, when he got his

first term and enjoyed sitting as the

President of the Pan African Parliament, he

did not want to go, so he orchestrated a

second term for himself. There was a lot

confusion and fight, but he still survived,

and then continued his second term.

Mr Speaker, even after his second

term, he was still orchestrating not to allow

the rotation that everybody had agreed to

continue, and that led to a very big fight.

Unfortunately, the activities of the Pan

African Parliament had to be suspended

for almost two years. Then, during the

COVID-19 season, we managed to start to

converge, but still we could not make

progress until this very Meeting when

almost all the regional zones had to be

invited to Addis Ababa to be talked to.

There, some arrangements were done, and

we reached some understanding. Even

with that, we had people whose countries

were experiencing coup d'états, still wanting to contest and it created a lot of

problems for us. But we thank God that on

this very day, June 27, 2022, we were able

to weather the storm and we have been

able to constitute a new bureau that has

started working very effectively.

Mr Speaker, I believe that Africa has a

big challenge; we have very nice slogans.

When one goes to the Pan African

Parliament, it is boldly written there, “I am because you are”. But our activities and behaviour do not portray “I am because you are”. It is as though everybody is for himself and everybody is struggling for

himself. I hope that with these new

executives, we would continue to give the

very best to the African continent and to be

able to salvage the African people from all

the challenges that confront them which

includes poverty and all the challenges.

Mr Speaker, I would want to make a

plea before I take my seat. Please, do not

allow Hon Eric Opoku to contribute to this

Motion because he has told me clearly

what he intends to say and I do not want it

to be captured. So please, do not call him

because he wants to say that most of the

confusions that occurred were orchestrated

by me, but I do not have any hand in them

— [Laughter] —

Mr Speaker, with these comments, I

second the Motion and I hope Hon

Members will contribute positively and

keep encouraging the African Parliament

to give out its very best.

Yes,
Hon Majority Chief Whip?

Majority Chief Whip (Mr Frank

Annoh-Dompreh): Mr Speaker, I am

grateful, and I beg to speak in the support

of the Motion.

Mr Speaker, let me start on a note of

commending the African Union. If one

listens to the story as being told and the

narrative, one cannot help but come to a

conclusion that the African Union played a

very vital role in resolving the impacts that

played a part all this while.

Mr Speaker, again, the Delegation

from Ghana's Parliament led by our respected First Deputy Speaker needs to be

commended for staying on course,

believing in certain democratic principles

and also ensuring that these principles are

respected and enforced. Various caucus

leaders also played a very important role in

the consultation that led to the resolution.

Mr Speaker, let me say that we were

fortunate that our own Hon Minority Chief

Whip was eventually elected as the

Chairman; he now chairs — and I do not know why he did not speak to that. I do not

know whether he was trying to hide it from

Hon Members — he was elected as the Chairman of the Finance Committee, so

his position has changed and it comes with

other essentials and my Hon Colleague

knows — [Interruption] — and to be fair, I led the Ad hoc Committee that helped in

conducting the elections, so we played a

very good role and represented our country

well.

Mr Speaker, not to belabour the point,

I would just want to conclude on the note

that largely, the PAP has been made a

consultative body.

Going forward, the vision as was

espoused by the founders, basically as a

parliamentary body is to ensure that the

legislative function of that body cannot be

toyed with or undermined. Moving

forward, we should move beyond the

consultative state and be able to define our

legislative powers. In my view, that is

critical and it is something that has been

outstanding for a very long time.

Mr Speaker, having said this, I would

like to commend the Africa Union and the

delegation for a very good role played in

ensuring that the Pan-African Parliament

(PAP) is on the route to regain its lost

glory. I support the Motion fully and urge

Hon Members to help in the adoption of

this Report.

Mr Speaker, I am grateful.

Very
well. Hon Eric Opoku, I am interested in
— [Laughter] — so let me hear you.

Mr Speaker, the
Leadership of my Side has asked me not to
make a comment on this Motion; therefore,
it would not be appropriate for me to
grossly disrespect the Leadership of my
Side. Therefore, I would not want to make
a comment.

Yes,
Hon Deputy Majority Leader?
Deputy Majority Leader (Mr
Alexander K. Afenyo-Markin): Mr
Speaker, Hansard has just heard
something and for emphasis, I just would
like to find out whether Mr Eric Opoku

intended what he said to be captured by

Hansard and posterity. We have the

Report of PAP — our representatives have gone to PAP and have come with the

Report. As a Parliamentarian, he is free to

express his views on it, but he said that his

Leadership has gagged him. Look at what

happened yesterday. Our Side had an

opportunity to express their views on

matters of national concern. We did not

gag them; we encouraged them to get on

board so that we work together for the

betterment of democracy. The Leadership

of the National Democratic Congress

(NDC) led by Mr Haruna Iddrisu, today, a

senior Hon Member of the NDC is saying

that on a harmless Report like this, he is

being gagged. Really? And therefore, he is

in all humility saying that he will not

comment even when Mr Speaker has

called him? [Interruption] So, between

NDC and the New Patriotic Party (NPP),

where is democracy being practised?

Mr Speaker, there was turbulence on

our Side yesterday. We took it easily, but

it would be over. [Laughter] But the Hon

Member is afraid. Why are they not

allowing him to speak? The man is afraid

to speak, else during his primaries, they

may kick him out or the Hon Chief Whip

may even deny him his status in the

Committee. Why is he afraid? Hon Eric

Opoku, as we know, a consummate

politician, is now afraid to speak. All right,

Hansard has heard him.

Mr Speaker, thank you.

Mr E. Opoku — rose —

Hon
Eric Opoku, you said you have no
comment, so I would not give you the
opportunity. Let me come to —

Mr Speaker, I just
wanted to correct an erroneous impression
made by our Hon Colleague that I am
afraid to speak. I am not afraid.
Democracy means respect for law. I am an
Hon Member of a caucus, and the caucus
has taken a position that certain people are
supposed to speak on this matter. That is
why I am declining not to make a comment
on this one. However, when the
opportunity comes for other people or me
to speak on another thing, I would do that.
I am not afraid. I have been speaking on

Mr Joseph Osei-Owusu — rose —

Mr
First Deputy Speaker, did you want to
speak?

Mr Speaker, I
thought he had finished.

I want
Hon Haruna Iddrisu to conclude.
Minority Leader (Mr Haruna
Iddrisu): Mr Speaker, thank you very
much for the opportunity to contribute to
the adoption of the Report. We have a
proud delegation led by the Hon First
Deputy Speaker, accompanied by the Hon
Whips to the Pan-African Parliament.
Mr Speaker, there are significant
issues from this Committee's Report. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs must take
particular note so that when the African
Heads of States meet again, they would

discuss the matter of the PAP to retake a

position and what purpose we want it to

serve. It does not appear that we are

learning lessons very fast, particularly,

from the European Union (EU)

Parliament, and what the EU Parliament

can do and cannot do. If we compare it to

our PAP, we still would appear like a

toddler nurturing a democratic institution.

The EU Parliament must guide African

Heads of States as to what they should do.

My other observation is to refer us to

page 3 of the Committee's Report, paragraph 1, line 1, with your indulgence I

read:

“It is well known that Parliaments throughout the world are important

places for debates and confrontation

of ideas.”

With the phrase “and confrontation of ideas”, I have a difficulty with the Committee's Clerk when he says that. I do not know what the Hon Leader of

Delegation means by that. I could go on

even to the text. There is another

correction that I would like to draw our

attention to. I would like to comment on

paragraph 4.5; this is to guide our clerks

that when they are working, we expect

more diligence from them. When a

sentence begins with:

“He indicated that at this turning point in the history of the Continent,

it seemed to him more relevant to

stick to the essentials …”

Contextually, I am struggling to see

what they are conveying. That is my

observation. I do not see the relationship

with other paragraphs. I am sure they want

to convey a certain major decision, but I do

not seem to get it.

Mr Speaker, to refer us to page 4,

paragraph 4, I read:

“He said it was, indeed, regrettable that the Protocol establishing the

rotation had not yet come into force,

due to lack of sufficient number of

ratifications.”

Mr Speaker, as I said, who is to do the

ratification? Who is to facilitate the

ratifications in other countries? We know

in Ghana, we have to. We would have to

get the other African Heads of States to

make a commitment to ratify so that the

PAP can take its pride of the place.

Mr Speaker, finally, as I said, I just

noticed another innocuous correction in

the Committee's Report. On page 8, the second line, paragraph 4, I am sure it is just

a typographical error but for the purpose of

records, with the phrase:

“… appealed to Members to rebrand…”

“Rebrand” is not spelt correctly, it should be corrected.

Mr Speaker, generally, I would like to

commend our delegation, Hon First

Deputy Speaker and his team. However, I

think we must redefine what the PAP must

do and African Heads of States must take

interest in it and model it along the lines of

the EU Parliament.

Mr Speaker, thank you.

Hon
Joseph Osei-Owusu, can you conclude and
probably address some of the issues raised
by the Hon Minority Leader.

Mr Speaker, the real
issue raised is what the Heads of States
wish the PAP to be. Indeed, it is a matter
which has engaged the attention of the
PAP itself and there are moves to ensure
that we move PAP from just being an
advisory organ to a legislative organ.
Indeed, I recall in 2013/2014, the Rt Hon
Speaker was the Chairman of the
Constitutional and Legal Committee and I
was his Ranking Member.

We were heavily guided by the model

Right to Information Bill prepared by the

Pan-African Parliament when we were

working on the Right to Information Bill.

So, the Pan-African Parliament does some

of these things to guide parliaments in all

of Africa, so that we could use what they

do as a guide in domesticating what the

national parliaments may do.

Mr Speaker, having said that, I thank

Hon Members who have contributed. I

noticed that the Hon Minority Chief Whip

has left, so I would not tell anybody what

he did in the elections. If he were here, I

would have said it, but now that he is not

here —

How he managed to make sure the

election was not held so that we could go

and come back and all that. He did very

well in that respect — [Laughter] — But I would not give the details to anybody on

the Floor.

Mr Speaker, I thank you, and I thank

Hon Members for contributing to the

debate of the Report.

Thank
you very much.
Question put and Motion agreed to.

Yes,
Leadership?
Majority Chief Whip (Mr Frank
Annoh-Dompreh): Mr Speaker, we are
ready for the item numbered 7 on page 2.

Hon
Members, may I invite you to page 2, the
item listed 7: Motion by the Chairman of
the Delegation to ECOWAS.
Report of Ghana's Representatives on the First Ordinary Session of the
ECOWAS Parliament
Leader of the Delegation (Mr
Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin): Mr
Speaker, I rise to move that this House
adopts the Report of Ghana's represent- tatives to the ECOWAS Parliament on the
First Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS
Parliament held in Abuja, Nigeria from 9th
June to 2nd July, 2022.
Mr Speaker, I move in terms of the
Report as advertised and rely on the entire
content of the Report without more.
1.0 Introduction
The ECOWAS Parliament held its
First Ordinary Session in Abuja, Nigeria,
from 9th June to 2nd July, 2022, in accordance

with Article 27 of the Supplementary Act

A/SA.1/ 12/ 16 relating to the Enhance-

ment of the Powers of the ECOWAS

Parliament. The Session was attended by

the underlisted Representatives of Ghana's

Parliament to the ECOWAS Parliament:

i. Hon Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin - Leader of Delegation

ii. Hon Kwasi Ameyaw-Cheremeh - Member

iii. Hon Sampson Ahi - Member

iv. Hon Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah - Member

v. Hon Mahama Ayariga - Member

vi. Hon Laadi Ayii Ayamba - Member

vii. Hon Johnson Kwaku Adu - Member

viii. Hon Abdul-Aziz Musah Ayaba - Member

The Session was presided over by the

Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Rt

Hon Dr Sidie Mohamed Tunis, and the

First and Third Deputy Speakers.

1.1 The under-listed items constituted part of the Agenda for the First

Ordinary Session for 2022:

i. Swearing-in of new Members of Parliament.

ii. Opening Remarks by the Rt Hon Speaker of the ECOWAS

Parliament.

iii. Message from the Vice President of the ECOWAS Commission.

iv. Message from the ECOWAS Court of Justice.

v. Solidarity Messages by Distin- guished Guests

vi. Consideration and adoption of the draft Agenda and draft work

programme of the First Ordinary

Session of the ECOWAS Parlia-

ment.

vii. Consideration and adoption of Draft Work Programme of

Standing, Joint and Ad Hoc

Committees and;

viii. Consideration and adoption of the ECOWAS Parliament's Draft

Report of the First Extraordinary

Session for 2022.

2.0 Swearing-In of New Members of

ECOWAS Parliament

Following the legislative elections that

took place in the Republic of the Gambia

on 9h May 2022, the Rt Hon Speaker of the

ECOWAS Parliament received a letter

from the Rt Hon Speaker of the Gambian

National Assembly, informing him that

Gambia's Parliament's representatives to

the ECOWAS Parliament had been

reconstituted. Pursuant to article 29 of

supplementary act A/SA.1/12/16, the

following persons were sworn-in as new

Members of the ECOWAS Parliament.

i. Hon Billy G. Tunkara (The

Gambia)

ii. Hon Alhagie S. Darbo (The

Gambia)

The Rt Hon Speaker congratulated the

newly appointed Members and urged them

to work hard in the interest of the citizens

of the sub-region. In accordance with the

Rules of Procedure, he directed the

Secretary-General to ensure their inclusion

in the Standing Committees of Parliament

and usher them through other

administrative formalities related to their

mandate as ECOWAS Members of

Parliament.

3.0 Welcome Address by the Speaker of

the ECOWAS Parliament Rt Hon Dr

Sidie Mohamed Tunis

3.1 The Rt Hon Speaker, prior to

welcoming Hon Members and dignitaries,

announced the demise of the Speaker of

the National Assembly of la Cote d'Ivoire,

Hon Amadu Sumahuru and the Secretary-

General of the Senegalese National

Assembly, Mrs Marie Josephine Diallo,

following which a minute silence was

observed in their honour.

3.2 The Rt Hon Speaker in his opening

address appreciated Hon Members, the

Secretary-General and Staff of the

ECOWAS Parliament for their undying

dedication and commitment in carrying out

their duties. He acknowledged the

presence of all distinguished personalities

and thanked them for honouring the

Parliament's invitation to the Opening

Ceremony. The Speaker's Remarks

covered the underlisted areas:

3.3 Duties of ECOWAS Parliament

The Rt Hon Speaker noted that the

sessions provide the Parliament the

opportunity to deliberate on wide range of

topical issues in the Community and

express opinions on referrals presented to

the Parliament. He reminded the House of

its obligation and utmost duty to act in the

interest of the people through the provision

of effective oversight and facilitating

consultations in the decision-making

process.

To this end, the First Ordinary Session

focused on the following among others:

i. Presentation by the President of the ECOWAS Commission on the

implementation of the Community

Work Programme;

ii. Presentation of Country Reports by National Delegations;

iii. Consideration of a number of referrals by the Plenary and the

respective Standing Committees;

iv. Presentation to the plenary by

some of the Parliament's partners

on issues of relevance to the

Community;

v. Plenary debates; and

vi. Other agenda items.

The Speaker indicated that the

enormity of the task ahead makes it

imperative for Members to work assi-

duously to discharge their responsibilities

effectively and efficiently, particularly in

the wake of regional and global political

and security situations.

The Rt Hon Speaker acknowledged

that COVID-19, coupled with the ongoing

Russia military invasion of Ukraine have

resulted in a global economic slowdown

(e.g rising cost of food and energy) and

caused severe strain on Government

resources leading to dire economic

consequences in the Region and the world

at large. It was therefore important for

Parliament to support policies that address

these challenges in order to gain the

confidence of the citizens of the sub-

region.

3.4 Political and security situation

The Rt Hon Speaker drew attention to

a resolution passed by the Parliament

during its Extraordinary Session in

Monrovia in March 2022, on the political

and security situation in the Region, with

particular reference to Mali, Guinea, and

Burkina Faso. He commended the efforts

of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of

State and Governments for the decisions

reached at the Extraordinary Summit held

on 4th June, 2022, in Accra and expressed

Parliament's continuous readiness to

support the implementation of the

decisions reached by the Authority of

Heads of State.

The Speaker pointed out that the

retrogression of democracy and the

devastating effect of conflicts necessi-

tates a change in the old approach of

addressing issues to the adoption of a

more proactive approach in handling

issues. It also calls for a review of the

protocol on democracy and good

governance, as well as an evaluation of

the conflict prevention framework and

early warning mechanisms.

Rt Hon Dr. Sidie Mohamed Tunis

pointed out that the year 2023 is pivotal

for democracy in the Region as three

Member States - Nigeria, Liberia and

Sierra Leone are scheduled to hold

elections. The Parliament's role in

ensuring that democratic processes are

conducted in a way that guarantees the

best possible outcomes cannot be

overemphasised. He acknowledged the

complexities of the Nigerian society and

applauded Nigeria for ensuring a peaceful

conduct of primary elections by the two

major political parties. The Speaker

emphasized that the Sub-region looks up

to Nigeria and expects a free, fair and

peaceful general election in 2023.

Rt Hon Dr Sidie Mohamed Tunis also

congratulated the people of the Gambia

for successfully holding its legislative and

local elections in April this year and

acknowledged that the success recorded

marks a remarkable progress in Gambia's

transition to democracy.

The Rt Hon Speaker underlined that

terrorism, kidnapping and banditry

continue to cause setbacks for security in

the sub-region. Sadly, the situation has

gotten worse in countries such as Burkina

Faso, Mali and Nigeria. He condemned

attacks on the Kaduna International

Airport, the Abuja-Kaduna train and the

Catholic Church in Ondo State that led to

the loss of innocent lives and left many

others injured.

3.5 Healthcare situation

With regard to COVID-19, the

Speaker underscored the fact that, the

African Continent has a proportionally low

number of fully vaccinated persons due to

challenges which range from the supply

and delivery of vaccines, to shortage of

medical staff, and vaccine hesitancy. He

appealed to resourceful countries and big

pharmaceutical companies to donate

additional doses of vaccines, and also

support investment in the local production

of vaccines. He noted that generally, the

low capacity of Africa's health systems

impede its ability to tackle not only current

health crises but future ones as well. It is

therefore pertinent that African countries

invest in building resilient health systems

to be able to respond to current and future

health crises.

3.6 Climate change

On the issue of climate change, the

Speaker urged Parliament to pay closer

attention to issues of severe drought,

deforestation, desertification, flooding,

coastal erosion, outbreak of diseases,

famine and food shortages being

experienced by some countries on the

continent due to climate change. In this

regard, the ECOWAS Commission, the

ECOWAS Parliament and other

stakeholders must be proactive and support

programmes and activities that reduce

climate change.

3.7 Direct Election to the ECOWAS

Parliament

The Rt Hon Speaker made reference to

article 18 of the Supplementary Act on the

Enhancement of the Powers of the

ECOWAS Parliament which provides that

"the 115 Members of the Community

Assembly are (to be) elected by direct

universal suffrage by the citizens of

Member States". Currently, National

Assemblies or equivalent bodies of

Member States elect ECOWAS Members

of Parliament from within their members.

The Speaker emphasised the need to elect

Community Members of Parliament by

direct universal suffrage so as to give more

power to the regional Parliament and

strengthen its role in the sub-region.

Election by universal suffrage he noted,

will also promote accountability in the

representation process and play an

important role in facilitating citizens'

participation in regional governance.

4.0 Message Delivered by the Vice

President of ECOWAS Commission,

Her Excellency Finda Koroma

The Vice President of the ECOWAS

Commission, represented H. E. Jean-

Claude Kassi Brou, President of the

ECOWAS Commission at the opening

ceremony. She acknowledged the

unwavering support of H.E. Muhammadu

Buhari, President of the Federal Republic

of Nigeria for the ECOWAS Community

Institutions, particularly the ECOWAS

Parliament. The Vice President also

appreciated the Rt Hon Speaker and the

Hon Members of the Parliament for their

unflinching support for the Commission

and other ECOWAS Community

Institutions.

The Vice President intimated that the

Region continues to encounter numerous

health, security, humanitarian, political

and economic challenges.

On the issue of health, she pointed out

that the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the

intrinsic weaknesses in the health care

infrastructure of the sub-region, especially

in the area of vaccine manufacturing and

the Region's preparedness to fight

epidemics and pandemics.

In the area of security, the Vice

President stated that the Region is still

confronted with terrorism and its spillover

effect on the Region's coastal states. She

therefore, welcomed the Accra Initiative

launched in 2017 by some Member States

in response to the growing insecurity

linked to violent extremism and to address

transnational organised border crimes

among others as well as other efforts by

member states to fight this menace.

On the political front, the Vice

President disclosed that the ECOWAS

Commission would engage the military

Governments of Burkina Faso, Mali and

Guinea to ensure the smooth transition to

democratic rule within the timeframe

prescribed by the Authority of Heads of

States and Governments.

The Vice President concluded by

appreciating Hon Members of the

ECOWAS Parliament for working

tirelessly during Sessions to discuss

pertinent issues that would improve the

regional integration agenda being under-

taken by ECOWAS Community Institutions.

She acknowledged that opinions given as

well as recommendations by the

Parliament have contributed to improving

the Commission's work processes and

accelerated the impact of its work on

citizens.

5.0 Message Delivered by the Vice

President of the ECOWAS Court of

Justice, Hon Justice Gberibe Ouattara

The Vice President of the ECOWAS

Court of Justice represented the President

of the ECOWAS Court of Justice, Justice

Edward Asante, who was out of Abuja on

an assignment.

The Vice President noted that

ECOWAS is in its 47th year of existence

and continues to pursue its goal of

regional integration among others.

Nonetheless, the Vice President shared

some concerns of the Judicial Organ of

the Community.

Justice Gberibe Quattara observed that

regardless of the 20 years of existence of

the Court as a well-established institution,

and the sensitisation campaigns carried

out in Member States, the Court remains

unknown to many citizens of the sub-

region. Sadly, only seven Member

countries (Guinea, Ghana, Burkina Faso,

Togo, Nigeria, Mali and Cote d'ivoire)

have designated missions and authorities

to enforce or apply the decisions of the

Court. In some cases, judgements of the

Court are rejected even though there is no

such provision in any Statute of

ECOWAS. Such acts impede the mandate

of the court. Unfortunately, other Member

States are yet to recognise the importance

of the Court.

Again, the Vice President observed

that after 20 years, Member States that

have signed the 1993 Revised Treaty and

protocols such as the 2005 Supple-

mentary Act are yet to domesticate these

laws/protocols. Domestication is an

internal process required of countries to

implement, for instance, laws to promote

international best standards and practices

and must therefore be encouraged.

Finally, the Vice President appealed

to the ECOWAS Parliament to help

sensitise community citizens about the

Judicial Organ of the Community, which

plays the role of ensuring the observance

of law and justice in the interpretation

and application of the Treaty and

protocols of ECOWAS.

6.0 Messages from other distinguished

guests

6.1 Message Delivered by the Vice

President of the ECOWAS Bank for

Investment and Development (EBID),

Dr Olagunju M. Olalekan Ashimolowo

The President of the EBID, His

Excellency Dr George Agyekum Donkor

who could not attend the opening

ceremony due to prior arrangements was

ably represented by the Vice President Dr

Olagunju Olalekan Ashimolowo.

Dr Olagunju Olalekan Ashimolowo

informed the House that he had observed

with keen interest, discussions on key

issues such as peace and stability,

economic integration and governance

impeding progress in the sub-region, at

various Parliamentary Seminars and

Extraordinary Sessions.

He intimated that as the Sub-region

presses forward to emerge from the thralls

of the global economic down turn

engineered by first COVID-19 pandemic

and other challenges, Member States must

not lose sight of the fact that their

economic fates are inextricably tied to

their ability to maintain political stability.

He explained that investors' fears about

the occurrence of coup d'etats and other

threats to security in the Sub-region

greatly limit access to financing as well as

concessionary resources necessary to

address the infrastructural gaps faced by

Member States which are key elements on

the road to economic recovery. He noted

that stakeholders must continue to explore

resolutions that acknowledge the

following:

i. The Lack of policies that establish parameters, and hold governments

accountable for all governance

practices which cause citizens

disaffection for elected officials

thereby generating conditions that

are conducive for undemocratic

interventions.

ii. The Lack of enforcement mechanisms to ensure free, fair

and transparent elections devalue

democratic processes and erode

the confidence of citizens therein.

iii. Socio-economic stability directly correlates with political stability.

Therefore, a holistic approach to

economic development cannot

ignore the former when focusing

on regular economic integration,

expansion of small and medium

enterprise (SMEs) and development

of infrastructure et cetera.

The Vice President of the EBID

emphasised that as the sub-region

repositions itself for advancement while

consolidating the economic gains of the

ECOWAS Community, it is important for

the ECOWAS Parliament to be at the

forefront of key initiatives. He stressed

the need for ECOWAS to focus on its

objectives in order to develop effective

solutions to the sociopolitical issues

confronting the Sub-region.

6.2 Message by the Vice President of the

National Assembly of the Republic of

Senegal, Hon Abdou Mbow

The Rt Hon Speaker of the Senegalese

National Assembly, Hon Moustapha

Niasse who could not be present at the

opening ceremony due to pressing

engagements in the Legislature of Senegal

was represented by the Vice President of

the National Assembly of the Republic of

Senegal, Hon Abdou Mbow. The Vice

President expressed profound gratitude on

behalf of the Senegalese National

Assembly for the invitation to be part of

the opening ceremony of the First

Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS

Parliament for 2022.

Hon Abdou Mbow underscored the

importance of Parliament as

representatives of the people to seek the

interest of community citizens as it takes

decisions and engage in actions to address

the numerous challenges confronting the

Sub-region. He noted that while the sub-

region and the world at large is yet to

recover from the adverse effect of the

COVID-19 Pandemic, it is now confronted

with the Russia-Ukraine crisis and the dire

effect of inflation, foreign debts and food

scarcity on the economies of the world.

The Vice President informed the

House that President Macky Sall in his

capacity as the Chairperson of the African

Union, went to Russia to address the

international community on the injustice

that Africa is facing due to the economic

sanctions that have been imposed upon

countries following the crises. This has the

tendency to derail the few gains made

following the pandemic.

6.3 Message by the Speaker of the

National Assembly of The Gambia, Rt

Hon Fabakary Tombong Jatta

Rt Hon Fabakary Tombong Jatta

expressed his delight at the opportunity to

grace the opening ceremony of the First

Ordinary Session of the Community

Parliament.

The Speaker recalled the ideals of the

founding fathers of the then Organisation

of African Unity now African Union

which was to promote political and

economic integration among others. He

drew attention to the fact that the

sustainability of the freedom, liberty,

dignity and prosperity of citizens lies in the

unity of the sub-region. To promote unity

of purpose and development, Regional

blocs such as ECOWAS were established

to serve as the building blocks for African

Unity.

Rt Hon Fabakary Jatta indicated that at

a time when the world faces great

uncertainty with insecurity, economic

recession, climate change and violent

extremism threatening the future of

humanity, the unity of purpose for a stable

and peaceful world is compelling more

now than ever. The threat of violent

extremism calls for closer collaboration

among Member States and sharing of

critical information to curb this menace.

The Speaker condemned in no

uncertain terms, the unconstitutional

seizure of political power through coup

d'etats. He also criticised leaders who rely

on the support of Parliament to amend

their constitutions and accord themselves

extended timelines. To sustain economic

prosperity, peace and accountability, the

express will must be respected.

The Speaker underlined the need for

the ECOWAS Parliament to have the

requisite powers to become an effective

Community Institution. In this regard, it

has become important that Members are

elected to the ECOWAS Parliament by

Universal Adult Suffrage.This will confer

legislative functions on the Parliament

and enable it to perform effective

oversight over ECOWAS Institutions and

hold them accountable. The Speaker

urged the ECOWAS Parliament to put in

more efforts at attaining this reality.

6.4 Message by the Speaker of the

House of Representatives of the

Federal Republic of Nigeria, Rt Hon

Olufemi Gbajabiamila

Hon Gbajabiamila reiterated the role

the ECOWAS Parliament plays in the

integration of the sub-region. He

expressed concern about recent incidents

of coup d'etat that pose a threat to the

peace and stability of the Sub-region. The

effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and

the rising debt profile of member states

have become a burden on the economies

of various countries in the Sub-region

and on the continent as a whole.

He mentioned that several Speakers

of African Parliaments including himself,

have come together to set up the

Conference of the Speakers of the

African Parliaments (CoSAP), to address

problems some of which have been

enumerated. This collaboration he

believes would achieve favourable

results. He implored Members of the

ECOWAS Parliament not to relent in

their efforts, but work hard to produce

results that will have the desired

legislative impact on individual countries

and the sub-region.

He stated the fact that the Legislature

is the bedrock of every democracy and

perhaps the most important arm of

government contrary to the belief by

some persons that the Executive is the

most important arm of Government. The

Legislative is the most enduring, and

impactful. The Speaker indicated that

years ago, Nigeria started parliamentary

diplomacy which has been used as an

instrument or channel to resolve issues

that the Executive were unable to resolve.

Africa, he stated, is a peculiar

continent. The Speaker therefore called

on the Parliamentary body to start

thinking outside the box to fully

understand the role of Parliament in a

democracy.

7.0 Plenary Proceedings

Plenary proceedings covered the

following among others:

Interactive sessions with;

i. the ECOWAS Commissioner in

charge of Agriculture, Environ-

ment, Water Resources on the

major initiatives of his depart-

ment;

ii. the United Nations High Commi- ssioner for Refugees (UNCHR);

iii. Amnesty International on the Human Rights Situation in the

Region;

iv. Human Rights Advancement,

Development and Advocacy

Centre (Huridac); and

v. West African Bar Association

(WABA).

The Session also considered the

following among others:

i. Country Reports;

ii. 022 Report of the State of the Community by the president of the

ECOW AS Commission, Dr Jean

Claude Kassi Brou; and

iii. Report of the Joint Committee on Political Affairs, Peace, Security

and APRM, Legal Affairs and

Human Rights, Social Affairs,

Gender and Women Empower-

ment.

8.0 Interactive Session with the ECOWAS

Commissioner for Agriculture,

Environment and Water Resources on

the Main Initiatives

The Commissioner for Agriculture,

Environment and Water Resources of

ECOWAS, Mr Sekou Sangre, informed

the House that the Commission leads

numerous initiatives in Agriculture,

Environment and Water Resources. The

presentation by the ECOWAS Commi-

ssioner covered the following areas:

8.1 Governance, monitoring-evaluation

and policy coordination

Mr Sekou Sangre indicated that the

ECOWAS Commission is responsible for

coordinating and steering sectorial policies

towards the implementation of the

ECOWAS Agricultural Policy (ECOWAP),

which is aligned with commitments at the

level of the African Union (CAADP/CAADP

and the Malabo Declaration), the ECOWAS

Environmental Policy (ECOWEP), and the

Regional Policy for integrated Water

Resources Management (PREAO). He

stated that the implementation of these

policies have improved in recent years,

particularly, with the strengthening of the

Regional Agency for Agriculture and Food

(FRAA) based in Lome, to support the

implementation of projects and

programmes.

The regional project and program

steering committees have, for the past

three years, helped strengthen the synergy

and coherence of the interventions of

ECOWAS and its partners in the region.

Concerning strategic planning, and

development initiatives, he disclosed that

the region has initiated several actions and

investment programmes in the Agro-

Sylva-Pastoral and Fisheries sector, Water

Resources Management, Environment and

Natural Resources.

8.2 The Regional Fund for Agriculture

and Food (RFAF)

This Fund created in 2011 was

operationalised in 2019 with the signing of

a Management Agreement between the

ECOWAS Commission and ECOWAS

Bank for Investment and Development

(EBID). The Commissioner disclosed that

requisite arrangements are being finalized.

The first funding will start via

contributions to the "West African

Initiative for Climate-Smart Agriculture

(WAICSA)", a financial mechanism

integrated into the RFAF, to provide

technical assistance and loans at subsidised

rates to small farmers and agroenterprises

in the ECOWAS region to increase the

adoption of Climate Smart Agriculture

(CSA) practices.

It came to the attention of the House

that, through the strengthening of the

ECOWAP/PDDDA Monitoring and

Evaluation System from 2018, the

agricultural sector has witnessed improve-

ments in efficiency and accountability at

the regional level. Major results produced

include:

i. Strengthening the capacities of country focal points in the

formulation, implementation and

evaluation of National Agricultural

Investment and Food and

Nutritional Security Programmes

(15 PNIA-SAN), in complementarity

with the Regional Programme

(PRIA-SAN);

ii. Member States' commitment to improving regional agricultural

performance, through the Biennial

Sector Review exercise;

iii. Improving documentation and communication of the results of

ECOW AP and its projects and

programs, in particular through the

establishment of monitoring and

evaluation platforms.

The Commissioner informed Parlia-

ment that with the mobilisation of

resources from technical and financial

partners, the volume of external funding in

grants, between 2018 and 2022, has

increased considerably with cumulative

funding of US$l46,358,449 for the

regional components of approved projects.

The average resource mobilisation

capacity in the agricultural sector for

regional financing was around US$30

million per year over the period.

8.3 The Resilience of Food Systems,

Food and Nutrition Security:

The Commissioner reported that,

ECOWAS has improved its information

system on food and nutritional security by

strengthening the Harmonised Framework.

This framework is a tool which allows the

severity of food and nutritional insecurity

to be evaluated each year (on a scale of 1

to 5) to estimate affected populations as

well as target areas in each country. The

results of the framework support decision-

making and facilitate crisis response

planning. It is important to observe that

ECOWAS contributes to the management

and prevention of food crises, through:

i. support for the development of national response plans,

ii. mobilisation of Regional Food Security Reserve (RFSR),

iii. support for national safety nets, and

iv. the coordination of regional interventions.

The House was informed that the

ECOWAS regional storage strategy which

was initiated in 2015 was operationalised

from 2018-2022 through the implement-

tation of the RFSR intervention tools. The

interventions in countries like Burkina

Faso, Ghana, Niger, Nigeria and Mali were

carried out for the benefit of populations

estimated at more than 2,900,000. The

RFSR products have made it possible to

roll out several social safety net

instruments (sale at moderate or subsidised

prices in Burkina Faso and Niger, free

distribution to the vulnerable population in

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, free

distribution to the displaced population

victims of terrorist attacks in Burkina Faso

and Nigeria, assistance to malnourished

children in Niger and support for school

canteens in Ghana).

In addition to the establishment of the

RFSR, ECOWAS has contributed to the

improvement of national storage policies

and strategies as well as their governance

system in the 15 ECOWAS Member states.

The Commissioner further informed

the House that ECOWAS continued to

experiment with social safety net

instruments in the 15 Member states. More

than €3million has been injected to support 19 pilot projects. These pilot projects have

directly benefited 53,000 people, 62 per

cent of whom are women and children.

The social safety net instruments covered:

(i) food distribution, child develop- ment and access to social

services;

(ii) the development of the main source of income and food

security for rural households; and

(iii) strengthening livelihoods and

resilience, and developing and

testing targeting methods.

8.4 Agriculture Productivity and

Competitiveness

Mr Sekou Sangre indicated that

ECOWAS, in recent years, has

strengthened the implementation of

regulatory mechanisms to control the

quality of fertilizers in the region. In

partnership with stakeholders including

the International Fertilizer Development

Center (IFDC), the West African

Economic and Monitoring Union

(UEMOA), and West African Association

of Fertilizer Professionals (WAFA), a

"West African Observatory on Fertilizers

extended to other inputs" (West Africa

Fertilizer Watch) was launched in 2020.

With the support of EBID, the

Commission worked with WAFA to

mobilize lines of financing to the tune of

US$525 million to increase the regional

supply of quality fertilizers among others.

Mr Sekou Sangre disclosed that as part

of the implementation of the 20222025

Regional Action Plan to Accelerate Rice

Offensive, ECOWAS and its partners in

2021, set up the ECOWAS Rice

Observatory (ECOWAS Rice

Observatory-ERO) to help key players in

the West African rice sector, better

coordinate policies and work in synergy.

This is a major step in the effort to

achieving self-sufficiency in rice by 2025.

8.5 Animal Health, Pastoralism and

Animal Production

The Commissioner informed the

House that ECOWAS has since 2018 been

strengthening animal disease surveillance

and control systems in West Africa and

supporting the "One Health" approach in

the region to address existing and

emerging zoonotic threats. He indicated

that through the Regional Animal Health

Centre based in Bamako, approximately

1.5 million small ruminants have been

vaccinated and identified for protection

against small ruminant pests in Guinea,

Liberia, and Sierra Leone. This programme

has 580,453 households raising small

ruminants.

8.6 Water resources

The Commissioner indicated that

ECOWAS is developing community

guidelines for integrated water resources

management and the harmonisation and

the integration of national policies relating

to water resources.

8.7 Environment, forest and

biodiversity conservation

It came to the attention of the House

that ECOWAS has adopted important

policies and strategies to consolidate

achievements in this area. These include

the following;

i. An Environmental Action Plan of the ECOWAS Environmental

Policy (2020-2026);

ii. Regional Forest Investment Programme;

iii. Hydromet initiative;

iv. Regional regulations on biosafety and prevention of biotechnological

risks; and

v. Regional Climate and Climate Finance Access and Mobilisation

Strategies.

9.0 Interactive Session with the United

Nations High Commission for Refugees

(UNHCR)

9.1 Forced Displacement in West Africa

The Senior Liaison Officer of the

UNCHR to ECOWAS, Mr Herve Kuate,

informed the Parliament those 4,000,800

persons benefit from the work of the

UNHCR in West Africa. He indicated that

in less than a year (June 2021 and April

2022), there has been an astronomical

increase of more than 800,000 internally

displaced persons. Since January, 2020,

the West African Region has seen an

increase of about l.7million persons who

are displaced within their own borders

with an increase of more than 245,000

asylum seekers over the same period. It is

worrying to note that, Burkina Faso alone

witnessed 1.2 million internally displaced

persons within the country.

The menace of Internally Displaced

Persons (IDPs) is largely linked to conflict

and tension as well as growing

urbanisation. People travel long distances

to flee from conflict and end up in the

urban centres. Even more worrying is the

fact that some displaced persons do not get

displaced only once, but suffer multiple

displacements, fleeing from one point to

another for various reasons.

Usually, the youth as well as women

and children are mostly affected in these

situations as they sometimes become

victims of gender-based violence.

To mitigate the woes of these IDPs, the

UNHCR has put in place measures such as,

providing shelter and basic needs, building

the capacity of victims against gender-

based violence and providing access to

education, among others. The UNHCR is

also working to strengthen normative

frameworks to ensure that the legal

instruments that help protect IDPs,

whether internationally or nationally, are

implemented. Again, to address the issue

of IDPs, the UNHCR has developed a

strategy of comprehensive solutions which

aim to assist the repatriation of citizens

who have, for the past ten years, lived

outside their countries, and have expressed

the willingness to return. The

Commissioner urged the ECOWAS

Parliament to help convince Member

States that have not ratified the Kampala

Convention to do so.

10.0 Interactive Session with Partners

on the Human Rights Situation in the

Region

10.1 Amnesty International

The Amnesty International, as a

Human Rights organisation, has carried

out research, campaigns and advocacy

across the world and has over the years

exposed several Human Rights violations

and abuses in several countries. Even

though the Human Rights situation vary

from one country to another, there are

cross-cutting issues.

It was noted that conflict situations in

most countries are marked by serious

Human Rights violations. Unfortunately,

civilians are the main victims of these

conflicts. Women and children suffer

sexual violence and abduction among

others. Amnesty International reported

that in countries like Mali, Burkina Faso,

Nigeria and Niger, armed groups launch

regular attacks on villages, killing civilians

and burning properties. For instance, more

than 600 civilians were killed in Mali, over

300 in Niger and about 132 in Burkina

Faso. In Nigeria, attacks by bandits

escalated resulting in more than 3,494

deaths and thousands of displacements.

Over 5,290 people, including foreign

nationals working on a quarry site were

abducted for ransom by bandits and other

gunmen. At least, 855 students were

abducted from their schools for ransom in

seven states in 10 separate attacks.

These conflicts adversely affect the

economic and social lives of the people as

they are deprived of basic rights such as

education due to the closure of schools, as

well as health, food, and housing due to

forcible displacement. The conflict related

crimes further weaken the already fragile

healthcare and economic systems in parts

of the Region. Victims continue to demand

justice while also fearing reprisals in the

absence of protective measures.

Hon Members noted that, the violation

of economic and social rights are not only

related to conflicts, but also results from

poor government policies, corruption, and

lack of political voluntarism at the national

and international levels. Due to the lack of

investment in the health sector by some

countries, for example, health facilities are

either not available, accessible or of high

quality. This challenge, coupled with high

level of poverty and unemployment in

some countries, compel the youth to

migrate to Europe, sometimes using

unapproved routes at the risk of their lives.

Amnesty International recounted that

Gender-based discrimination and violence

remain a major concern in the region.

Discriminatory laws and practices (on

inheritance, marriage, divorce, et cetera.)

exist in many countries. Sadly, reform

projects are often blocked by conservative

movements. Other forms of gender-based

discrimination and violence include,

harmful practices such as female genital

mutilation, early and forced marriage,

limited access to sexual and reproductive

health services and information, and the

exclusion of pregnant girls from schools.

Women and girls are often at risk of sexual

violence. Despite efforts, in recent years,

by some authorities and NGOs to promote

access to justice for survivors of sexual and

gender-based violence (SGBV),

bureaucracy, stigmatisation, and the

practice of negotiating out-of-court

settlements between suspects/ perpetrators

and the victim, continue to hinder

prosecutions.

Amnesty International also emphasised

on the restriction of civic space in some

countries in the Region. The presenter

indicated that Human Rights defenders,

journalist, bloggers, members of the

political opposition for instance, speak out

and protest about issues of insecurity,

arbitrary arrests, corruption, rising prices

of basic necessities and non-payment of

salaries among others, to remind govern-

ments of their human rights obligations.

Unfortunately, some authorities continue

to restrict freedom of expression and

peaceful assembly, which is a total

violation of fundamental liberties.

Arbitrary arrest of persons on grounds of

defamation, spreading false news,

insulting or endangering state security in

the exercise of their freedom of expression

have been reported in some ECOWAS

States. In others, demonstrations continued

to be banned using excuses related to

security or public health. Again, some

persons have been imprisoned for

criticising government policies in some

countries.

Cybercrime laws have also been used

to circumvent press laws and criminalise

opinions expressed through social media.

It is interesting to note that internet

disruptions, hutdowns and suspension of

social media have been employed to hinder

the mobilisation of people in some

countries. Some countries continue to

introduce laws to tighten media regulations

and undermine access to information. The

House was informed that Amnesty

international's Security Lab and other

partners, as part of the Pegasus Project,

discovered the massive deployment of

cyber surveillance using NSO Group's

spyware to perpetuate human rights

violations.

These notwithstanding, it is heart-

warming to note that the mobilisation for

the protection of Human Rights has been

effective and in recent times, made some

positive impact. It has led to the abolition

of the death penalty in Sierra Leone, the

release of many people arbitrarily arrested

for exercising their right to freedom of

expression in Cote d'Ivoire and Guinea, the

decision by the ECOWAS Court of Justice

to condemn a decree taken 10 years ago in

Senegal, banning all demonstrations for

political motives in a specific district of

Dakar, the opening of a judicial investi-

gation in Mali against the commander of

FORSAT for the bloody repression of

demonstrations from May to July 2020,

and the lifting of the Twitter ban in Nigeria.

10.2 Human Rights Advancement,

Development and Advocacy Centre

(HURIDAC)

Advocacy for Human Rights involves

the documentation of violations of human

rights of citizens and providing solutions

and remedies to tackle these inherent

violations that have occurred over time on

our continent. The HURIDAC indicated

that violations or abuses of human rights,

undermine the principles and policies that

are fundamental to our very existence.

Therefore, the importance of documenting

violations and proffering remedies to

relevant stakeholders who can assist in

ensuring that the Human Rights situation is

improved, cannot be overemphasised. It is

important to acknowledge the need for

equity and social justice for citizens to

claim their rights and give or lend a voice,

whenever there is a violation in ECOWAS

countries.

The HURIDAC underscored that there are legal instruments/mechanisms that must be relied on in addressing violations of human rights. These instruments include Convention on the Rights of the Child, African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, Inter- national Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimi- nation against Women. Unfortunately, not many people know about the existence of these instruments and other treaties that protect Human Rights. It is therefore essential that awareness is created about these instruments and institutions such as the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the African Court of Justice, to enable

citizens to adopt judicial mechanisms and protect their rights.

10.3 West African Bar Association

(WABA)

West African Bar Association (WABA)

intimated that the past 22 months have been turbulent for democracy in West Africa, owing to various military insurgence. WABA underlined that the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance, provides an account- ability framework for governance. It aims to ensure free, fair, and credible elections as the basis for legitimate governments. The Protocol requires state parties to strengthen democratic institutions, the rule of law, Human and Peoples' Rights, and independent electoral systems. WABA noted that despite the broad objectives of this framework, ECOWAS continues to grapple with illegitimate military takeover. This is a dangerous trend in West Africa in view of the fact that most states in West Africa are grappling with similar geopolitical issues, be it bad governance, political tension, pubic discontentment, religious and ethnic conflicts, poverty, minority agitations terrorism or armed militia. WABA noted that the failed coup attempt in Guinea Bissau is a clear admonition that the sub region is faced with imminent danger. The ECOWAS Parliament and Presidents of Member States must come up with a road map of actions to nip this retrogressive phenomenon in the bud.

W ABA indicated that in Mali, Human

Rights violations are being orchestrated by the Junta Government and the armed militia. There has been a surge in killings, violence and a total disregard for the rule of law by the military. The Military

Government has been the subject of several accusations of arbitrary detention of senior civil servants and opposition, as well as the use of farmlands and water as a negotiating power to force solidarity with the regime. This situation has also stalled the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines to the rural areas due to poor medical structures. Citizens journey through the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea into Europe to escape the conflict situations and they encounter perilous situations such as sexual violence, unsanitary conditions lack of food, potable water, healthcare and psychological torture.

Burkina Faso faces similar human

rights violations from armed groups in Northern and Eastern Burkina Faso. These systematic attacks have resulted in several killings, household displacement and civilian injuries.

Guinea faces the same fate as Mali and

Burkina Faso, leaving their socioeconomic state in a wreck.

It is important to acknowledge that

ECOWAS is working assiduously to ensure these countries return to constitutional rule.

11.0 Presentation of country reports

As part of the Agenda for the meeting

and in line with established practices, individual Member States presented their respective country's Report at the First Ordinary Session.

The Reports focused on the thematic

areas specified below:

i. Political Situation;

ii. Security Situation;

iii. Health Situation;

iv. Human Rights Situation; and

v. Status of Implementation of Community Text.

a. Political and Socioeconomic situation

The general observation from the

reports on the political situation in

Member States showed that there is a

relative calm in the Region. It was noted

from the reports that Member states are

putting in measures to promote and

preserve peace, cohesion and togetherness.

To maintain the objective of enhancing

a conducive democratic environment,

most countries in the sub-region are

demonstrating commitment to involve

political actors in debates of national

interest to enhance inclusion and

participation in the formulation and

implementation of policies.

Regarding the socioeconomic situation

of the Region, it was observed that the key

challenge relates to the global inflationary

phenomenon, which has taken a toll on

several, if not all the ECOWAS

Communities. This situation has been

mainly occasioned by the COVID-19

pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war.

The adverse economic impact of the

COVID-19 and the recent global

developments has stirred up a lot of

agitation by citizens over poor conditions

of work, surge in fuel prices, challenges in

the global food supply chain, incessant

increment in maritime freight, prices of

industrial products, and basic necessities,

among others.

The economies saw an average

inflation rate of 8 per cent in Africa and 9

per cent within the ECOWAS Community.

However, some measures have and

continue to be put in place to mitigate the

high cost of living.

b. Security situation

Security situation as contained in the

country reports generally bordered on

threats of terrorism and violent extremism,

kidnapping, organised crime, delinquency,

drug trafficking, trafficking of small arms

and light weapons, counterfeit medicines

and petroleum products, and maritime

piracy. Some countries also faced other

challenges like chieftaincy disputes, ethnic

conflicts and secessionism.

Also, the recent surge in terrorism in

countries such as Mali, Niger, Togo,

Burkina Faso and Nigeria created fear and

a sense of insecurity for some of the

neighbouring countries in view of the

security implications of terrorism,

including the spread of terrorist attacks and

influx of refugees for an adjoining country.

It was noted that porous borders, the use of

technology for nefarious activities and

concealment of evidence of crime are

some of the factors that allow insecurity to

flourish.

It came to light, however, that the

countries have managed to preserve peace

and stability through judicious strategic

choices. Again, the governments are

sustaining the tranquility of their

communities by pursuing reforms and

reorganisation within the defence and

security forces, intensifying counter-

terrorism operations, implementing key

frameworks for preventing terrorism and

violent extremism, and retooling the

security and intelligent agencies.

A compressive cybersecurity policy

for the sub-region was identified as critical

for nipping fraudulent social media

activities in the bud.

c. Health situation

The Corona Virus pandemic emerged

as the main health issue that was presented

in the countries reports. The pandemic

which has had ruinous effects on the day-

to-day activities of people in member

states remains an issue of serious concern

to the ECOWAS communities. Initial

measures adopted by most countries

within the sub-region to contain the virus

included; limiting and stopping

importation of the virus, detecting and

treating existing cases as well as

improving response in the management of

the virus.

The above COVID-19 measures have

been eased owing to the fact that the

Region is gradually adopting effective

measures, including vaccinations, to

contain the pandemic. Progress has also

been made in addressing other health

issues such as the outbreak of the Lassa

fever and Monkeypox, Measles and the

menace of Malaria.

It came to light that countries continue

to implement several programmes and

policies to enhance maternal, neonatal,

child and adolescent health, and family

planning, among others

d. Human Rights situation

Regarding human rights issues,

various countries in their reports, made it abundantly clear that they were democratic countries who affirm freedom of expression, opinion, and association and that human rights are fundamental and sacred under constitutional provisions.

The Member States touched on

measures being implemented to strengthen national Human Rights Institutions and constantly monitor the protection of human life. These include reforms aimed at strengthening institutions, consolidating democracy and rule of law, as well as promoting gender equality.

The Member States reiterated the need

for ECOWAS to take into account the human-rights based approach in the design and implementation of policies, programme and developmental projects. There was also a call on Member States to sensitize citizens on their civic values, and intensify efforts towards the eradication of discriminatory practices such as child abuse, early child and forced marriages, Female Genital Mutilation, human trafficking.

e. Status of implementation of Community Texts

According to some Member States,

they are striving to continuously improve their practices in the management of the community levy, and indicated their commitment to fulfilling their financial obligations towards ECOWAS. It emerged that some countries had honoured their financial commitments, while others were making arrangements to pay up their contributions.

In terms of Free Movement of Persons

and Goods, regulatory measures are

already in place to ensure the effective

implementation of this important

ECOWAS protocol. However, Member

States identified language and

communication barriers, attitude, lack of

knowledge of the protocols, use of

unapproved routes and lack of

harmonisation, as some of the challenges

undermining the effective and efficient

implementation of the movement

protocols. These challenges, they

suggested, could be remedied through

public education, capacity building and

effective communication.

It further came to light that the

Supplementary Act of Equal Rights

between Women and Men for Sustainable

Development in the ECOWAS Region, is

contributing significantly to promote

gender equality and equity in all sectors.

The legal and institutional context

continue to remain favourable to gender.

Vast reform projects initiated through the

revision of certain major national texts and

establishment of institutions for the

promotion of gender and women's rights

are proving beneficial. These institutions

are being strengthened by improved

education for girls and women,

empowering women economically,

especially low-income women in rural

areas, and the eradication of inhumane

prison conditions.

12.0 2022 Interim Report on the State

of the Community by the President of

the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Jean

Claude Kassi Brou

The President of the Commission

reported that there was an improvement in

the COVID-19 situation and called for

continued vigilance to curtail the numbers.

The President indicated that the Region

also saw an increase in the number of

vaccinated persons, from about 23 million

in October 2021 to 63 million. The

ECOWAS Commission drew two lessons

from the outbreak of COVID-19

pandemic. The first, was the need to

strengthen the Region's public health

systems and the second lesson was the

need to boost the capacity for research and

the manufacturing of vaccines.

Security /Terrorist Situation

The President reported that terrorist

attacks were getting worse. While in 2021,

2359 terrorist incidents with 5179 fatalities

were recorded, the first quarter of 2022

recorded 1051 incidents and 2135

fatalities. Parliament was informed that the

security situation and the food production

crisis created an unprecedented humani-

tarian crisis in the Region, where the

number of Internally Displaced Persons

(IDPs) which stood at 4.4 million in

December, 2020 had increased to 5.5

million by February, 2022. The

Commission disclosed that various actions

were being taken by the Accra initiative,

the GS Sahel initiative, and the Lake Chad

Basin initiative to strengthen the fight

against terrorism. The Commission also

reported that ECOWAS had installed eight

early warning centres out of 15, and plans

to install the remaining seven by the close

of 2022.

The President informed the House, that

about a year ago the maritime security

situation in the Gulf of Guinea was

extremely disturbing and globally, the sub-

region recorded the largest number of

maritime piracy attacks. It is heartwarming

to know, nonetheless, that actions taken by

individual countries and at the regional

level has led to some improvements in

maritime security. Nigeria for instance, has

been taken off the Piracy List hotspot

(IMB), and the West Africa Regional

Maritime Security Centre (CRESMAO)

was inaugurated in March 2022. The

implementation of Regional Action Plans

and resource mobilisation remains a

priority for the Region.

Political and Democratic Situation

On the political and democratic

situation in the Region, the President

reported that in spite of the challenges in

Burkina Faso, Mali and Guinea, the

Region continued to entrench democracy.

Twelve countries have stable democracies

and have held successful presidential and

legislative elections between 2020 and

2022. Regarding the situation in Burkina

Faso, the President indicated that

ECOWAS, following discussions with

Burkina Faso authorities, agreed on a 36-

month transition programme. Subsequently,

ECOWAS appointed the former president

of the Republic of Niger, President

Mahamadou Issoufou, as the mediator to

move the transition programme forward.

In respect of Guinea, the Commission

revealed that the socio-political situation

between the authorities, political actors,

and Civil Society Organisations was tense,

resulting in demonstrations which led to a

loss of life. However, a 36-month

transition period had been announced and

discussions are ongoing with the

Commission. As regards the situation in

Mali, sanctions were imposed in January,

following receipt of inadequate

chronogram. Authorities have proposed an

extension of 24 months and discussions are

ongoing to find a solution to the current

situation.

The ECOWAS Commission continues

to support the Republic of the Gambia and

the Republic of Guinea Bissau. An

ECOWAS mission was deployed to the

Gambia (ECOMIG), to assist the country

maintain stability. Following the decisions

of the summit of Heads of States and

Government after the attempted coup

d'etat in Guinea Bissau, a stabilisation

mission was deployed to the country to

help maintain peace and stability.

Economic Situation

The economic situation of the Region

was characterised by familiar challenges,

however, the Region showed some

economic resilience. The President

disclosed that there was a slight recession

of about minus zero point eight (-0.8) per

cent in 2020 mainly due to the COVID-19

pandemic and the constraints in terms of

trade and finances. In 2021, the Region

saw a resumption of economic recovery at

more than 4 per cent, which indicated that

the economic situation was returning to its

average growth rate pre-COVID-19. It is

expected that there will be a slight growth

rate in 2022.

Inflation, according to the President

has been high since 2020. He indicated that

the Region is now facing an inflation rate

of 13.6 per cent and this may go up due to

the crisis in Ukraine, as well as the

reduction in agricultural production in the

Region.

The President also enumerated on the

debt of the Region and indicated that it is

at a level that can be managed. The debt

level currently stands at 35 per cent instead

of 70 per cent. He cautioned that the debt

level has to be carefully managed

otherwise, it could cause serious

constraints.

On the issue of the single currency, the

President indicated that the process of

launching the single currency was stalled

in 2020 and 2021 following the outbreak

of the COVID-19 pandemic. He indicated

that, it was important for the convergence

criteria to be thorough so that, the currency

once launched would serve citizens

effectively. The Commission is therefore

looking to create favourable conditions to

stabilise the economies of the Region

between 2022 and 2026. The main

objective is to ensure that the convergence

criteria is being followed. It is expected

that the single currency, (Eco), would be

launched in 2027.

The President underscored that

progress is being registered slowly for the

Free Trade area. It was noted that, all the

ECOWAS countries with the exception of

Benin, Liberia and Guinea Bissau have

ratified the AfCFTA. He requested the

support of Members of the Parliament of

the three countries to get the treaty ratified.

The President indicated that discussions

are ongoing on Phase D of the protocol

issues on investment, policy of compe-

tition, intellectual property, electronic

trade and commerce. The Commission is

also working with many countries of the

region to coordinate the regional approach.

With the Free Trade Area, the

President indicated that, discussions are

being held with various countries

following the obstacles to the Free Trade.

The ECOWAS Commission is working

with countries to improve upon the

mechanisms for operationalising the

activities of trade and interconnecting

systems to speed up trade along the

borders. He informed the Parliament that,

two countries have moved on to the active

phase while three countries, the Gambia,

Ghana and Nigeria, are concluding their

move to the testing phase to enable them

go onto the integration of the active phase.

On the issue of free movements, the

President underlined the Commission's

intention to introduce a single Visa within

the ECOWAS. In order to achieve this, the

Commission has adopted a roadmap to

strengthen and share information. The

Commission seeks to harmonise

procedures and processes, the cost of Visas

and have in place a computerised

biometric system to make it more secure.

This would facilitate activities since the

same Visas would be issued to citizens of

the Region and those outside ECOWAS.

In terms of agriculture, the President

disclosed that the Region is facing a very

difficult situation because the 2021 and

2022 harvest was affected by several

factors such as the dry season, climate

change, and insecurity. This has resulted in

the migration of people from the farming

areas. He mentioned that there has been a

deficit in terms of cereal production of

about 5 million tonnes and this has been

further aggravated by the Ukraine crisis.

The President informed the Parliament

that, current stocks are being utilised to

support countries that requested for

assistance since the reserved stocks have

already been utilised.

The President intimated that, with the

world food crisis and the Ukraine-Russia

situation, some countries do not want to

export. The Commission is therefore

working with other partners through

existing mechanisms to be able to address

this emergency situation.

Regarding energy and power, the

President disclosed that the Commission is

continuing with activities to strengthen the

availability of energy in the Region at costs

that would be reasonable and competitive.

On the interconnection of electricity

among Member States, he stated that nine

countries are already interconnected and

the remaining five are expected to be

interconnected by December, 2022. He

noted that, the West African Power Pool

(WAPP) is being finalised and would be

launched by 2023 when the

interconnections of all countries in the

Region would have been finalised. This

would make it possible to sell and buy

energy through the energy market system.

This intervention when implemented

effectively could attract investors to

produce and invest in the local and the

broader market.

It also came to the fore that, other

projects which would aid the extensive

supply of electricity are being imple-

mented by the Commission. Some of these

projects funded by the World Bank

include:

i. Access to Electricity Project which would help electrify various

localities through the construction

of low and medium tension lines

and transformers. About 152

households are expected to be

connected by 2024;

ii. Technology for Storing Energy Project which would also help to

electrify about 200 localities

through the construction of low

and medium tension lines and

distribution posts; and

iii. Regional Projects outside the Network (that is in rural areas

where there is difficulty

connecting). This would make it

possible to extend electricity to

about 60,000 households.

These projects are estimated to cost

US$123 million, US$425 million and

US$338 million respectively.

13.0 Joint Committee on Political

Affairs, Peace, Security and APRM,

Legal Affairs and Human Rights, Social

Affairs, Gender and Women

Empowerment.

The agenda for this Joint Committee

entailed the consideration of political and

security situation in the Sub-region,

particularly, the political transition in Mali,

Burkina Faso, and Guinea Bissau, as well

as the political and security situation in

Senegal and Togo. It also included the

status of implementation of the ECOWAS

counter-terrorism action plan.

On the political situation in Burkina

Faso, the Committee noted that several

missions were carried out by ECOWAS as

part of its efforts to resolve the crisis.

These efforts were making an impact as

they had achieved an acceptable

framework for the return to constitutional

rule until the Transition Authority created

a setback for the Community by presenting

a 36-month timetable instead. His

Excellency Mahamadou Issoufou was

appointed as the mediator to facilitate

dialogue among all stakeholders, a

development which was accepted by the

Transition Authority.

The Committee was informed that, as

regards the political situation in Guinea, no

tangible progress had been achieved in the

dialogue between ECOWAS and the

Transitional Authority. It is important to

observe that despite the appointment of

His Excellency Ibn Chambas as the

mediator to Guinea soon after the coup

d'etat in September 2021, his appointment

was only recently accepted by the

Transition Authority. The Transition

Authority also adopted a 36-months

timeline for the transition process without

consultation with ECOWAS.

With regard to Mali, the Transition

Authority in Mali unilaterally proceeded to

sign a decree of a 24-months extension.

The Authority of Heads of States,

however, requested the mediator, His

Excellency Goodluck Jonathan, to

maintain the channel of communication

with the Transition Authority with a view

to reaching an agreement on the timetable

for the return to constitutional order and to

also ensure the gradual lifting of the

sanctions.

The Committee highlighted the recent

demonstrations linked to the invalidation

of the list of the opposition candidates for

the next legislative elections by the

constitutional courts in Senegal.

There was also a presentation on the

counter-terrorism action plan which

focused on pooling of resources, effective

and direct information sharing, training

and equipping, strengthening border

management, strengthening the control of

arms in counter-terrorism strategy,

promoting communication and mobilising

resources for implementation.

The Joint Committee highlighted the

need for ECOWAS to take up alleged

cases of Human Rights violations in Mali

and Guinea Bissau in accordance with

Article 7d of the Supplementary Act,

which empowers the Parliament to

consider any matter concerning the

community, especially issues relating to

Human Rights and fundamental freedom.

They also hammered on the need for

greater women involvement in conflict

prevention and management, especially

the Members of Parliament's Standing Committee on Women Empowerment.

The Committee came up with

recommendations for the ECOWAS

Commission, as well as the ECOWAS

Parliament, some of which are enumerated

below. It called for the need to:

i. Establish a monitoring and evaluation mechanism for pre-

election situation in Member States

that would hold presidential

elections.

ii. Set up a parliamentary mediation mechanism to make parliamentary

diplomacy more effective in

accordance with the provisions of

Article 40 paragraph 2 of the

Supplementary Act relating to the

enhancement of powers of the

ECOWAS Parliament.

iii. Further strengthen the mechanism for information sharing and

interaction with the Parliament

beyond parliamentary Sessions, so

that the Region can reap more

benefits from parliamentary

diplomacy.

iv. Strengthen preventive diplomacy through more rigorous monitoring

of political processes in Member

States even in non-electoral

periods.

14.0 Conclusion

The Session created the platform for

participants to assess the progress being

made by ECOWAS Member States

towards the full integration of the

ECOWAS Region for accelerated socio-

economic development.

The Delegation recommends to the

House to adopt its Report on the First

Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS

Parliament for 2022.

Respectfully submitted.

Very
well.

Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity.
Mr Speaker, I beg to second the Motion to adopt the Report of our Representatives
to the ECOWAS Parliament. In doing so,
may I add a few words.
Mr Speaker, in reading the Report,
particularly if we focus on the messages
delivered by the key institutions
constituting ECOWAS as reported herein,

especially under the Report delivered by

the Vice President of the ECOWAS Court

of Justice, the Hon Justice Gberigbe

Ouattara, the Hon Justice, on page 8,

paragraph 3 of his Report says that even

though the Court is as old as 20 years, as

an institution of the ECOWAS Parliament,

only a few citizens within ECOWAS

countries have some knowledge about the

workings of the Court. He also reported to

the ECOWAS Parliament that often times,

it comes to their attention that the decisions

of the Court are rejected by the member

countries that constitute the ECOWAS.

Mr Speaker, this is worrying, and I

would want to have the attention of the

Hon Leader of the ECOWAS delegation,

especially because when we expend

money and resources to constitute such an

important institution within ECOWAS as a

region, it is important that the decisions of

the court of law are recognised and

enforced by the member countries. That is

the only way the authority of the courts can

be properly established.

Mr Speaker, may I also refer to some

portions of the Report submitted by the

Commissioner for Agriculture, Environ-

ment and Water Resources. The

Commissioner, in reporting to the

ECOWAS Plenary, said that, for instance,

under the Regional Fund for Agriculture

and Food (RFAF), which was established

as far back as 2011, that fund is yet to be

operationalised - 11 years after it was established. We are now putting structures

in place to, as it were, even receive

donations or contributions from member

states, so we can in turn give to farmers

from our member states for them to be able

to benefit and apply them in their various

agricultural activities.

Mr Speaker, I think this is a very

important matter that should engage the

attention of this honourable House. We

cannot adopt such a lethargic approach to

institutionalising entities such as this. We

established a fund 11 years ago and are

unable to operationalise it. It means that as

ECOWAS, we do not appear to be

addressing the issues affecting our

agriculture sector seriously and as a House,

we need to take note.

Mr Speaker, under the same Report,

again, the Commissioner reported that

under the resilience of food systems for

food and nutrition security, the ECOWAS

Regional Storage Strategy, which was

adopted as far back as 2015, is also yet to

be operationalised. This is a problem. If

our Food Storage Strategy was adopted in

2015, about seven years ago, and we are

yet to operationalise it, it means that we are

paying lip service to a lot of the

institutional reforms that we seek to

introduce at the ECOWAS parastatal level.

Mr Speaker, the last point I would like

to touch on under that contribution is about

the uniformity or synchronisation of the

use of water resources within the

ECOWAS subregion. As I address this

honourable House on this matter, the

Bagre Dam has been opened and it has had

a devastating effect on our farmers

particularly downstream of the dam. The

net effect is that for the first time in 14

years, the Volta Lake is at its brim and the

Volta River Authority (VRA) has just put

out a notice that within the next 11 days,

they would be spilling excess water from

both the Akosombo Dam and the Kpone

Dam. This means that when the spillage

occurs, for the persons who are

downstream of these two dams, we may

have to marshal up some emergency

preparedness so that those who would be

affected by the spillage can be attended to.

Mr Speaker, finally, the forum also

received some information from the West

African Bar Association (WABA) which is

the group of lawyers within West Africa.

Part of the issues they touched on are,

clearly, matters that bother on human

rights, abuse of women's rights and why it is important that the ECOWAS as an entity

needs to pay attention to some of these

developments.

Mr Speaker, I would resume my seat

by quoting what the West African Bar

Association said on this matter on page 23

of the Report:

“… in West Africa, owing to various military insurgents, WABA

has underlined some protocol and

democracy and good government

structures and provide for an

accountability framework for the

governance of its structures. It aims

to ensure free, fair and credible

elections as the basis for legitimate

governance.”

However, their further observation is

that the re-emergence of military coups in

West Africa is a threat to the sustainability

of our democratic credentials as a people

within the subregion. The various national

assemblies are being called upon to pay

attention to address some of the

fundamental reasons why there are the

emergence of military dictatorships and

coups within West Africa.

Mr Speaker, with these few words, I

thank you for the opportunity.

Question proposed.

Yes, Mr
Eric Opoku?
I believe this time you would speak.
[Laughter].
Order!

Mr Speaker, thank you very much
for the opportunity to comment on the
Report by my Hon Colleagues
representing us in the ECOWAS
Parliament.
Mr Speaker, on the item numbered 8.4
on page 17, the Report talks about
agricultural productivity and compete-
tiveness, but the name of the
Commissioner is not Mr Sékou Sangre, it
is Mr Sékou Sangare. So, the Chairman
could look at it and make the correction.
He is the ECOWAS Commissioner in
charge of agriculture —

Hon
Deputy Majority Leader, please listen to
the Hon Member's comment. I am drawing your attention to the comment he is
making.

The Leader of the
Delegation who is reporting to us should
look at the name. He is the Commissioner
in charge of agriculture. I recall that in

2018, when we needed support from the

ECOWAS, Mr Sékou Sangare was the one

who came here to offer the assistance that

we needed at the time.

Mr Speaker, most importantly, I am

interested in the efforts being made by the

ECOWAS to ensure that we have enough

supply of fertiliser across the sub-region as

part of the measures to increase food

production and ensure food security in the

subregion. It is very important.

Also, they talked about the project to

increase rice production in the subregion

which is very important. They are looking

at how we can come together, link efforts

and strategies as a sub-region to increase

rice production in the ECOWAS member

countries. We spend so much to import

rice to supplement local production, so it is

in the right direction that members of the

ECOWAS come together to join hands in

ensuring that we produce enough rice to

feed our people and even export to make

some foreign earnings.

Mr Speaker, there is a very important

point, which has been made on page 33,

policy makers in our country must take

note of and prepare accordingly. The page

33 states, that some countries within the

ECOWAS region have experienced low

harvests in terms of their agricultural

production. As a result, they have written

to the ECOWAS Strategic Stores for

support. So, as we speak, ECOWAS is

reporting to us that they have depleted all

their reserves and do not have food

available now to support any country in

need because most of our countries

suffered the situation because of the long

dry seasons, climate change, and

insecurities. Because of these, they do not

have food and have to fall on the

ECOWAS Strategic Stores. So, ECOWAS

is telling us that as we speak, they do not

have food kept anywhere to support any

other country that may be in need. This is

very important information for Ghana; as

we prepare, we must know that should

there be any difficulty, ECOWAS would

not be able to come to our aid. Therefore,

we should be preparing now.

Mr Speaker, as we speak, we know that

we do not have a single grain of cereal

stored anywhere in the country for us to

depend on in times of emergencies. So, if

ECOWAS is giving us indication that they

have depleted their resources, then we

must know how to prepare accordingly.

Mr Speaker, in addition to this, the

President intimated that with the world

food crises and the Ukraine-Russia

situation, some countries do not want to

export. The President is telling us that

apart from the fact that ECOWAS has

depleted its food reserves, even on the

international scene, some countries are not

willing to export food because of the

Russian-Ukraine situation. The Commi-

ssion is, therefore, working with other

partners through existing mechanisms to

address this emergency situation. So, there

is no hope from the world that we would

get food should we have an emergency. In

the ECOWAS region, there is no food

anywhere, so, Ghana, as a country, must

prepare against emergencies.

My worry is that, as a country, we have

not put in place enough mechanisms. We

do not have buffers, so in case of any

emergency, the whole country will suffer.

Once this has come to the attention of the

House, policymakers, the Ministry of Food

and Agriculture, and the Government must

take serious notice of this, and prepare

accordingly. In 2018, we had a challenge

in spite of the Planting for Food and Jobs

programme, and all the things that we said,

and ECOWAS bailed us out. Today,

ECOWAS is telling us that it does not have

anything to support any country. It is also

saying that even in the world, countries

that have food do not want to export

because they do not know when the

Russia-Ukraine war would end. This

means that we should domesticate our

plans and prepare here. Mr Speaker, this is

very important because if anything

happens and there is no food, they should

not say that we did not tell them. They

reported to us, and we are commenting on

it. It is very important.

Mr Speaker, also, on page 35 of the

Report, they spoke about insecurity in the

sub-region. The most important thing for

all of us to do is to look at what the triggers

of insecurity in the sub-region are. What

are the triggers? Poverty levels, high

inequalities, corruption and other issues

that deprive the citizenry of their basic

necessities — if we create an atmosphere where the chunk of the resources meant for

the good of the entire citizenry is given to

few people, we widen the inequality and

create an atmosphere of insecurity.

Therefore, in order to address the

challenge of insecurity, we have to come

together to implement pro-poor policies,

and ensure that the gap between the rich

and poor is closed so that every citizen on

our continent can have a decent life.

Mr Speaker, thank you very much for

this opportunity.

Mr Samuel O. Ablakwa — rose —

All
right, let me give the last opportunity to
you.
Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
(NDC — Tongu North): Mr Speaker, I am most grateful for the opportunity to
contribute to the Motion. I commend the
leader of the delegation for the
presentation of the ECOWAS Report.
Mr Speaker, I note from page 4 of the
Report that the delegation is particularly
concerned about the deteriorating
democratic situation in the sub-region, and
has pointed to a very important mechanism
to address the deterioration. That is what it
describes as a more proactive approach in
handling the democratic deterioration.
This point has been made very eloquently
by my Hon Colleague who just spoke, Mr
Eric Opoku. The proactive measures that
would prevent the democratic deteriora-
tion, the instability that is rearing its ugly
head again — we have seen a return to the era of coups d'états when we thought that they were matters of the past. We have
seen what happened in Burkina Faso, Mali,
Guinea and then Burkina Faso again only
a few weeks ago.
Mr Speaker, these proactive measures
would definitely be the need for ECOWAS
leaders to hold their peers accountable to
the dictates of good governance to ensure
that economic opportunities are created for
the youth of their country to ensure that the
matters to do with corruption, lack of
inclusivity, and this abuse of the
democratic process where term limits are

taken away and leaders want to perpetuate

themselves in office — we all know the precipitating factors, and the challenge has

been that it appears ECOWAS leaders are

quite silent when these matters are

unfolding, and when these very negative

tendencies are being rolled out by these

despots. We only hear ECOWAS leaders

impose sanctions when the die is cast, the

horses have bolted, and these coups d'état have happened. Clearly, the sanctions, are

not working. We see the tough time that Dr

Mohamed Ibn Chambas is having —

Hon
Members, please, let us listen to the
contribution.
Hon Member, let us hear you.

Mr Speaker, I was
making the point about how when these
coups détats have occurred, we see that the
transitional arrangements are not even
followed. Going through the Report, we
read that our own Dr Ibn Chambas is
having a tough time trying to get the
military junta in Guinea to follow the
ECOWAS transitional timetable. We see
Mr Goodluck Jonathan also facing the
same challenge. Mr Speaker, the point
cannot be overemphasised that a new
model or paradigm is needed, where
ECOWAS leaders would need to persuade
their colleagues to just follow the dictates
of good governance to make sure that the
economic dividend is felt by all. It seems
to be the only way forward.
Mr Speaker, having talked about the
democratic deterioration, the Report of the
delegation also draws our attention to a
number of challenges with the
implementation of AfCFTA Agreement.
Mr Speaker, you know that we host the
secretariat, and it is really unfortunate that
as we speak, there are three ECOWAS
countries that have not yet ratified it . All
experts agree that this is a game changer
for industrialisation in the sub-region, and
I will add my voice to the need for all
ECOWAS member states to ratify the
AfCFTA Agreement, and ensure that all
countries in the sub-region participate fully
in this game changer, which would create
jobs and see to the industrialisation of
Africa. We renew the call for Benin,
Liberia and Guinea Bissau to ratify the
AfCFTA Agreement so that they can be
part of this important trade market, which
is potentially bigger than the World Trade
Organisation (WTO).

Mr Speaker, as I round up, I would also

like to point to some key economic

indicators contained in the Report. We are

told that the new launch date for the Eco is

2027, yet we know that a lot of economies

in the sub-region are really facing

difficulties. I see that the issue of inflation

has been highlighted. We now have an

average inflation of 13.6 per cent as

contained at page 31 of the Report of the

delegation. This is a potent threat to the

rollout of Eco, and if care is not taken, the

2027 launch date would be missed again,

just like the earlier launch dates were.

Mr Speaker, it is clear that a few

countries are doing well economically, and

we need to learn from them; we need to

find out what they are doing right. For

example, the debt-to-gross-domestic-

product (GDP) ratio —

Hon
Members, please, the noise is too much.
Please!
Yes, Hon Member, let us hear you.

Mr Speaker, now that
the World Bank is reporting that we are on
the verge of exceeding 100 per cent of our
GDP, there is the opportunity for countries
like Ghana that are having challenges to
share ideas and exchange experiences with
the countries that are doing well and have
a low debt-to-GDP ratio, as we see at page
31 of the Report, to see how we can adopt
some of their strategies so that we could
also learn from them as they learn from us
in other indicators that we are doing better
than them in.
Mr Speaker, I would be remiss if I do
not emphasise the fact that the ECOWAS
Parliament, as it is now, just like the Pan-
African Parliament and all the regional
Parliaments, remain delegations of
Parliaments from member countries. The
original idea, which has not been
abandoned, and which many of our
citizens look forward to, is universal adult
suffrage, where all adults, all the electorate
of these countries can participate in direct
elections of our Hon MPs of Parliament in
this ECOWAS Parliament and the Pan-
African Parliament. Full integration and
the dream of continental African unity, the
United African States as was originally
envisioned by Osagyefo Dr Kwame
Nkrumah has not yet been achieved.
Mr Speaker, on an occasion like this,
we should be reminded of those ideals that
these are just steps, building blocks, to
what really should be and what the
destination is. We are not there yet, and we
need to quicken up and hasten the process
to getting to that final political entity,
which is true unity and integration that
abolishes these artificial boundaries.
Mr Speaker, I conclude by wishing the
three countries that would be holding
elections next year - Nigeria, Liberia and Sierra Leone - the very best. They would be following up from The Gambia. The
Gambia has held very peaceful and
successful elections, having transitioned
for the first time since strong man Yahya
Jammeh was forced out of power. We must
change the narrative that the ECOWAS
sub-region is the headquarters of coup
d'états and political instability.
We wish Nigeria, Liberia and Sierra
Leone the very best, and hope that the three
other countries that have had democratic
setbacks - Guinea, Mali and Burkina Faso - would quickly transition and bring back democratic order, and let us all work
towards the dream of real integrated
continental unity.
Mr Speaker, thank you very much for
the opportunity.
Question put and Motion agreed to.

Yes,
Leadership?

Mr Speaker, I
guess we have exhausted all the items as
agreed to at Conclave, so I would move
that the House adjourns to tomorrow at 10
o'clock in the forenoon.

Mr Speaker, I
beg to second the Motion for adjournment.
Question put and Motion agreed to