Breaking: ECOWAS Parliament Elects First Female Speaker
Princess-Ekwi Ajide
For the first time, the Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, has elected a female as its speaker
The New Speaker, Memounatou Ibrahima, who hails from Togo was elected at the 2024 Second Extraordinary Session of the Sixth Legislature of the Community Parliament ongoing in Kano State, Nigeria.
The speakership of the ECOWAS Parliament, in accordance with the provision of Supplementary Act on Enhancement of Power, is often based on rotation among member states in alphabetical order with Sierra Leone holding the position in the fifth Legislature.
Ibrahima was the third Deputy Speaker in the fifth Legislature of ECOWAS Parliament; where she has been since 2021 and she is taking up the speaker baton from the Nigerian leader of delegation, Senator Barau Jubrin who was elected the First Deputy Speaker at the inauguration of the Sixth Legislature of the ECOWAS Parliament on 4th April, 2024, but had to act as the Speaker.
It will be recalled that during the inauguration of the Sixth Legislature of the ECOWAS in Abuja, the delegation of the Republic of Togo was not present because they had not conducted election to enable the country send their representatives to the Community Parliament.
Meanwhile, the Togolese delegation to the ECOWAS Parliament have been sworn in.