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In a landmark address that may redefine West African regional cooperation, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, passionately called for reform during the parliamentary meeting’s closing session in Abuja on July 13, 2024.
Afenyo-Markin, who also serves as the Majority Leader in Ghana’s Parliament and MP for Effutu, identified significant flaws in ECOWAS’s current structure and proposed comprehensive changes to enhance the parliament’s role in fostering regional integration.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, initially established as a platform for dialogue, consultation, and consensus among West African representatives, has been largely perceived as an advisory body. In his speech at the First Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament in Nigeria’s capital, Afenyo-Markin challenged this perception, advocating for a more empowered and influential parliamentary role within the regional bloc.
“Parliament was not just created as an organ of ECOWAS to play a mere advisory role, a deliberative chamber without powers,” Afenyo-Markin asserted, emphasizing the need for a stronger parliament to accelerate the achievement of ECOWAS’s goals and to bridge the gap between the organization and its citizens.
Presiding over the session of the 6th legislature, Afenyo-Markin identified two critical issues hindering ECOWAS’s effectiveness: widespread lack of awareness about the organization’s activities and a lack of synergy and collaboration among its various organs. These issues, he argued, have created a disconnect between ECOWAS initiatives and the people they aim to serve.
Drawing from his private sector background, Afenyo-Markin shared a personal revelation: “Until recently, I did not know a lot of the interventions that some development financial institutions established by ECOWAS have for the ordinary citizen of ECOWAS.” This admission highlighted the urgent need for improved communication and outreach strategies.
He pointed out that the lack of awareness extends to the business community, particularly in crucial sectors like agriculture. “There are a lot of businesses in the agri-sector who are looking for chief funding, but how to tap the [ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID)] facility is a problem they don’t even know,” he noted, illustrating a major obstacle to economic development in the region.
Afenyo-Markin also criticized the current organizational structure of ECOWAS: “There is a commission sitting somewhere and parliament sitting somewhere. We are acting in silos.” He called for a more integrated approach, suggesting that the parliament could serve as “the best mouthpiece, the PR organ of the community body.”
His vision for reform also includes addressing political crises within the region. With several member states threatening to leave the bloc, he argued that “a strong parliament… would give meaning to the community’s aspiration” and could play a crucial role in maintaining regional stability.
Highlighting the parliament’s current marginalization, Afenyo-Markin recounted a recent emergency meeting of ECOWAS heads of state, where the Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament was relegated to a back seat and denied the opportunity to address the gathering, unlike other commission heads and even a UN Special Envoy. This incident, he suggested, underscores the need for “radical reforms… in terms of the protocols.”
As the meeting adjourned, Afenyo-Markin outlined the next steps for the parliament, announcing an upcoming interactive session with the ECOWAS Commission to focus on implementing programs in economic affairs, agriculture, infrastructure, energy, and digitalization.
In his closing remarks, he acknowledged the scale of the challenge ahead: “I think that this parliament has a unique opportunity to lead that reform and let’s take that on board.” His words set the stage for a potentially transformative period in ECOWAS’s history, with the potential to reshape regional governance and cooperation in West Africa.
As the ECOWAS Parliament prepares to reconvene on July 15, 2024, all eyes will be on how these proposed reforms unfold and whether they can indeed strengthen the organization’s impact on the lives of West African citizens. The coming months will be crucial in determining if ECOWAS can evolve into a more responsive, effective, and truly representative body for the region’s 400 million people.
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