Mrs. Maimunatu Ibrahima from Togo has made history as the first female speaker of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament. She took the oath during the second extraordinary session of the Parliament in Kano. It’s part of the Parliament’s rotational system that Togo holds the speakership during this legislative session.
After being sworn in, Ibrahima expressed her commitment to collaborating with her colleagues in the Parliament to enhance integration in the sub-region. She also pledged to enhance the Parliament’s reputation to ensure it is seen as accountable and respected by everyone.
She also showed gratitude to her colleagues for their trust in her and promised to utilize her wealth of experience to benefit the sub-regional parliament.
She also expressed her gratitude to the presidents of Togo, Nigeria, and other heads of state for their backing of the parliament.
Also, Female members who spoke to thepaan commended the parliament for electing a woman to lead its affairs.
Ibrahima, who had been the third Deputy Speaker in the fifth Legislature of the ECOWAS Parliament, has been a member since 2021.
She took over from Sen. Barau Jubrin of Nigeria, who served as the speaker and was also chosen as the First Deputy Speaker during the commencement of the Sixth Legislature of the ECOWAS Parliament on April 4.
According to thepaan, the parliament was founded based on Articles 6 and 13 of the ECOWAS Revised Treaty of 1993.
The Parliament consists of a total of one hundred and fifteen (115) seats. Each Member State is guaranteed a minimum of five (5) seats and the remaining forty (40) seats are distributed according to population size.
The establishment of the Community Parliament was driven by the necessity for a community mechanism to strengthen connections with the citizens of the West African Community.
