…urge member states to remit community levy
By Gloria Ikibah
Members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament have called for a quick and indepth implementation of the 2025 draft budget of UA 23.37 million, in line with the Community Strategic Framework (CSF).
The parliament at the ongoing 2024 Third Extraordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament in Lomé, Togo, presided by the Second Deputy Speaker, Hon. Adjaratu Traore, considered and adopted the draft budget presented by the Committee on Administration, Finance, and Budget.
Vice Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Ibrahima Sall from Senegal, emphasised that the 2025 budget represents a slight increase of 0.6 percent over the 2024 budget. The proposed revenue of UA 23.37 million for 2025 will mostly come from the Community Levy (99.95 per cent), with the balance sourced from other channels.
The budget outlines expenditures as follows:
– Governing bodies: UA 128,695 (0.55%)
– Administrative expenses: UA 8.02 million (34%)
– Programmes: UA 15.12 million (64.71%)
– Contingency: UA 100,122 (0.43%).
Naijablitznews.com reports that the budget was modelled based on the 2025-2027 guidelines issued by the ECOWAS Commission, led by President Dr. Omar Alieu Touray.
The Commission’s four strategic objectives include: enhancing Regional Peace and Security, deepening Regional Integration; promoting Good Governance and encouraging Inclusive and Sustainable Development.
In his submission, Hon. Ibrahima Sall highlighted the need for sufficient resources to tackle the socio-political challenges facing the region, he therefore urged defaulting member states to remit their Community Levy contributions to ensure the smooth operation of ECOWAS.
Hon. Edwin Snowe from Liberia reverberate these sentiments, and called for rapid and detailed budget implementation. He also urged the Bureau to enforce the levy remittance and establish a compliance mechanism.
President of the ECOWAS Female Parliamentarians Association (ECOFEPA), Hon. Veronica Cessay of Sierra Leone, advocated for more funding for projects supporting women and girls, reiterating the importance of member states paying their levies.
Hon. Saa Emerson Lamina of Sierra Leone stressed that the “Community Levy is the lifeblood of the Parliament,” and urged the Bureau to consider sanctions against defaulting countries.
The committee report stressed that the 2025-2027 budget should adhere to the ECOWAS Council of Ministers’ directive, ensuring that at least 65% of the budget is allocated to programmes, while administrative expenses should not exceed 35%.
The budget for each institution, except for peace, security, health, and special projects, remains largely unchanged from 2024.