Good Governance and Regional Integration: An Assessment of the Role of the Fourth ECOWAS Parliament

Abstract

It is no doubt that ECOWAS Parliament is central to any meaningful regional integration and good governance agenda in the ECOWAS subregion. As a result, this study assessed the roles of the Fourth ECOWAS Parliament in promoting good governance and regional integration in West Africa. Therefore, the objectives of the study were to: assess the role of the ECOWAS Parliament in ensuring good governance in the ECOWAS region, appraise the role of the ECOWAS Parliament in enhancing regional integration in the decision-making process of the Community, identify the factors limiting the ECOWAS Parliament towards achieving good governance and integration in the ECOWAS region, and suggest strategies that will mitigate the challenges facing the Community Parliament. The justification for this study is gleaned from the role of the Community Parliament in fostering regional integration and good governance agenda viz-a-viz other regional parliaments. The study adopted the qualitative research design, employing the purposive sampling technique in the selection of data. Therefore, data were collected from documentary pieces of evidence. The purposive sampling technique was used to select from an array of documents that served as the source of data (secondary data). Other secondary data were taken from published materials, namely: journals, the internet, etc. Qualitative analysis (emphasizing the textual representation of data) using content analysis was employed in the analysis of data. Based on objective one, the political and security situation in the region within the tenure of the Fourth ECOWAS Parliament, especially those of Guinea Bissau and Mali were considered, among others. As a result, the ECOWAS and the International Community made sure that the democratically elected government of President Adama Barrow was recognized. Given Objective two, the Community Parliament’s resolution on unifying rules for the elimination of double taxation, and rules governing assistance in tax matters and cooperation among others, were inclined towards the improvement of regional integration. Within the context, of regional integration, the Community Parliament had resolutions on the Free Movement of Persons and Goods and Migration, African Continental Free Trade Area (ACFTA), the ECOWAS Single Currency, and so on. However, objective three revealed that the factors limiting the role of the ECOWAS Parliament were the: Lack of Inter-Institutional Powers, the inadequacy of the structure of the Administration of Parliament, and the advisory role of the Parliament. Overall, objective four recommends strengthening the inter-institutional cooperation by concluding the inter-institutional memorandum with the ECOWAS Commission and Council of Ministers to resolve the challenge of the lack of inter-institutional powers, accelerating the process for the enhancement of the powers of Parliament to provide it the opportunity to participate in the decision-making process which in part is the adoption of the Supplementary Act A/SA.1/12/16, and the review of the organogram of Parliament’s secretariat to enable it to adapt to the specific needs of the parliamentary institution in a manner that will depict those of the ECOWAS Commission. Conclusively, like national parliaments, the ECOWAS Parliament must assume the place of primacy to enhance good governance and regional integration in West Africa.