BY MBONO MDLULI
EZULWINI – ECOWAS Parliament President (Speaker) Her Excellency Ms. Hadja Mémounatou Ibrahima has reaffirmed the regional body’s commitment to strengthening peace, security and parliamentary cooperation across Africa and Europe during high-level discussions at the Africa-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly.
Addressing delegates during a session focused on peace and security at the Ezulwini Palazzo International Convention Centre (ICC), the ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) Parliament President said the organisation places great importance on institutional dialogue between African and European parliamentary bodies.
Ibrahima, who was speaking in the French language, noted that West Africa continues to face increasingly complex security challenges within a volatile global environment. According to the ECOWAS leader, these challenges worsen economic and social vulnerabilities, weaken living conditions and threaten both regional and international peace and security.
Despite these challenges, she highlighted the significant steps taken by the regional bloc to strengthen peace building efforts and democratic governance. She explained that Economic Community of West African States has adopted an international normative framework supported by key instruments aimed at maintaining peace and security within the region.
The President further stated that ECOWAS has developed several strategies to combat terrorism and violent extremism while also strengthening early warning systems and establishing a permanent security fund, which now serves as a pillar of the region’s security architecture.
“These instruments have supported efforts aimed at consolidating political governance,” Ibrahima said, adding that they have contributed towards the harmonisation of constitutional standards, the protection of human rights and the strengthening of democratic institutions across member states.
She stressed that parliamentary diplomacy remains strategically important as a bridge between policymaking and the daily realities experienced by ordinary citizens. As a result, she called for stronger cooperation between regional parliaments through regular dialogue platforms, the sharing of legislative experiences and the exchange of information on emerging security threats.
The Togolese legislator also emphasised the need to harmonise legal and regulatory frameworks dealing with cross-border threats, saying this would improve the effectiveness of regional responses to insecurity.
Importantly, Ibrahima highlighted inclusion as a key pillar of sustainable peace. She said the active participation of states, communities and young people in parliamentary processes was not only a democratic necessity but also essential for building long-term internal stability.
Reaffirming the regional parliament’s commitment to collaboration, she said the ECOWAS Parliament remains determined to deepen its engagement within the Africa-Europe parliamentary framework through partnerships built on reciprocity, dialogue and balanced cooperation.
The session formed part of broader discussions on peace, security and parliamentary diplomacy during the ongoing Africa-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly in Ezulwini.
