By Lizzy Okoji
The fifth legislature of the ECOWAS Parliament has adopted its four-year strategic plan, (2020-2024) that would provide a direction in decision making and allocation of resources across member states.
The ECOWAS Parliament adopted the draft strategic plan, on Tuesday, in Freetown, Sierra Leone, at its ongoing Extraordinary Session, according a statement on Tuesday by its Public Relations Department.
The statement stated that the strategic plan identified program areas, with themes and priority areas that would systematically assist the Parliament in executing its mandate, as defined by the ECOWAS Supplementary Act.
It added that the Strategic Plan would provide direction in decision making and allocation of resources, to enable the Parliament attain its goals, while focusing on its mandates and top priorities.
It will provide guidance on the efficient and effective utilisation of scarce resources.
In addition, it will serve as the basis for Monitoring and Evaluating of the performance of Parliament, during the tenure of the current legislature, the statement said.
Members of Parliament further expressed optimism that the Plan would serve as a springboard to launch a new revolution that would bring the Community Parliament closer to the people.
The strategic document disclosed that the ECOWAS Parliament, for the purpose of the fifth legislature, has adopted its Vision and Mission as follows:
Vision, emergence of a citizen oriented parliament aimed at fostering the ideas of integration.
Mission, to promote citizens representation, participation, and ownership in decision-making.
On its strategic orientation, the Parliament noted that the document had revealed that since its inception in 2000, it had remained a body that represented the interest of the people in West Africas integration process.
That focus, it said, had never changed, except that the style might vary from one leadership to another.
While noting that the ECOWAS Parliament was relatively assured of basic funding due to the advantages derivable from the Community Levy, the strategic plan pointed out that lack of dedicated membership at the ECOWAS
Parliament had affected the conduct of its programmes and activities.
The Parliament further noted that in order to implement the plan, an Annual Work Plan would be drawn, to provide details of activities to be implemented each year. (NAN)
Source: NAN News