National Assembly member representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District, Senator Aniekan Bassey, has called for a participatory budgeting framework that would foster regional integration, good governance, and effective monitoring within the community.
A release from the media unit of the lawmaker made available to Tribune in Uyo, indicates that Senator Bassey made the call during a one-week delocalized meeting of the Joint Committee on Administration, Finance and Budget; Public Accounts and Macroeconomic Policy and Economic Research of the ECOWAS Parliament, held in Abidjan, Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, at the weekend.
Senator Bassey, who is a member of the 6th Legislature of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, noted at the meeting that the ECOWAS Parliament has served as a watchdog for over 30 years in matters of budgeting and budgetary provisions and needed the right framework in place.
He, however, thanked the presiding Chairman of the Joint Committee, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, for being a strong advocate for amending the Supplementary Act and for insisting on a paradigm shift in the sub-region’s budgeting policy, particularly regarding parliamentary autonomy and powers for the sub-regional leadership.
Presenting his recommendations entitled: “Community Budgeting Formulation and Monitoring” to the Parliament, Senator Bassey highlighted several critical inputs that could enhance governance, including “Strengthening the Legislative Power of the ECOWAS Parliament, Enhancing Transparency and Accountability, Capacity Building and Technical Support, Improving Data Collection and Information Sharing.
Other recommendations presented by Senator Bassey include Fostering Regional Integration through Budgetary Policy, Addressing Political and Institutional Challenges, Ensuring Timely and Effective Monitoring and Evaluation, Strengthening Collaboration with Civil Society and the Private Sector, as well as Promoting Equitable Resource Allocation.
Senator Bassey, who is also a member of the Public Accounts Committee of the ECOWAS Parliament, further advocated for the gradual “empowerment of the ECOWAS Parliament to have a more significant role in the budgetary process, including the potential to have a say in the final approval of the budget.”
According to him, this could involve “amendments to the Supplementary Act or relevant protocols, ensuring that the Parliament can act as a more robust check on the executive bodies of ECOWAS.”
His recommendations also proposed the establishment of a centralized digital platform where all budgetary documents, including draft budgets, financial reports, and audit results, are published and accessible to the public.
He reasoned that the platform should also include mechanisms for tracking the implementations of budgetary allocations and the outcomes of funded projects.
He called for “the implementation of comprehensive capacity-building programs for Parliamentarians and staff, focusing on areas such as budget analysis, financial oversight, and monitoring and evaluation (M&E) techniques.
“These programs could be conducted in collaboration with international organizations, regional financial institutions, and universities. Moreover, he proposed the creation of a dedicated Budgetary Analysis Unit within the ECOWAS Parliament, staffed with financial experts who can assist Parliamentarians in reviewing and analyzing budget proposals and reports.”
He further recommended advocacy for the establishment of a standardized data collection and reporting framework that all ECOWAS institutions and member states must adhere to; advocating for the institutionalization of regular consultations with CSOs and private sector representatives during the budget formulation processes.
He proposed the adoption of a results-based management (RBM) approach to budget implementation, where clear performance indicators and outcomes are defined at the outset; encouraging the adoption of institutional reforms within ECOWAS that promote greater independence and impartiality in the budgetary process.
He advocated for the inclusion of specific budgetary provisions that support regional integration initiatives, such as cross-border infrastructure projects, harmonization of trade policies, and regional security cooperation.
The 15 member states of ECOWAS are Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.