GOOD GOVERNANCE AND REGIONAL INTEGRATION: AN ASSESSMENT OF THE ROLE OF THE FOURTH ECOWAS PARLIAMENT

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study: Aggad and Miyandazi (2017) alluded that the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was conceived as a mechanism for promoting regional economic integration and development. This, Aggad and Miyandazi noted is a drive towards a ‘regional government agenda’ in response to the problems that confronted the region in the 1990s-ranging from conflicts and violent political transitions. Drawing from this, Bossuyt (2016) opined that enhancing regional integration and cooperation has long been high on the agenda for African countries, regions, and their organizations. In fact, ECOWAS is designed as a driver of good governance regional agenda. This is found expressed in Article 2 (1) of the “Lagos Treaty” which puts the Aim of ECOWAS as follows

It shall be the aim of the Community to promote co-operation and development in all fields of economic activity particularly in the fields of industry, transport, telecommunications, energy, agriculture, natural resources, commerce, monetary and financial questions and in social and cultural matters for the purpose of raising the standard of living of its peoples, of increasing and maintaining economic stability, of fostering closer relations among its members and of contributing to the progress and development of the African continent.

From the above, it is clear, therefore, that ECOWAS was created primarily to pursue good governance and regional integration agenda in the West African subregion (Bossuyt, 2016; Aggad & Miyandazi, 2017). Explicitly, governance represents how any social unit from an entire society to the smallest association organizes itself to make collective decisions, promote shared interests, or solve common problems (Sambo, Othman & Omar, 2017). The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific [UNESCAP] (2007) posited that good governance assures that corruption is minimal, minority and most vulnerable voices are heard and taken into account during decision making. Thus, it listed the eight (8) characteristics of good governance as; participation, consensus decision making, accountability, transparency, responsiveness, effectiveness and efficiency, equity and inclusivity, and the rule of law.

On the other hand, Ninalowo (2003) defined regional integration as cooperation that yields socio-economic, political, cultural, scientific, and other benefits, to various aspects of social life across national boundaries. Ninalowo argued that regional integration is intended ultimately to achieve enhanced cooperation across territorial boundaries in ways that would be mutually beneficial to social life. However, the place of the parliament as a legitimizing institution in a Supranational organization as the ECOWAS cannot be overemphasized. The Community Parliament was inaugurated in November 2000 in Bamako, Mali, and has had three past legislatures and it began the fourth one in February 2016. This itself is testamentary to the rise in regional parliamentary bodies in recent times. Therefore, in the pursuit of good governance and regional integration, the strategic place of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament cannot be ignored.

Whereas it can be said that it lacks legislative powers, its advisory role to Heads of State, Government, etc., is worthy of note (Kumahia, 2013; the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, Parliament, 2017). Against this backdrop, “Protocol Relating to the Community Parliament” (2010) averred that the opinion of the parliament shall be sought in the areas of the interconnection of the communications links between member states for enhanced movement of people and goods, interconnection of energy networks, social integration, respect for human rights and fundamental freedom in all their plentitude, etc.1 on one hand, and further quipped that “Members of the Parliament shall be deemed to represent all the peoples of the Community,”2 on the other hand. Thus, depicting a vital characteristic of good governance as suggested by the UNESCAP (2007) and the UNDP (2012). Given the foregoing, this study attempts to evaluate the role of the Community Parliament directed towards achieving good governance and regional integration.

​​​​​​​Statement of the research problem

The precepts of representative democracy connote that the existence of a regional parliamentary Assembly such as ECOWAS Parliament gives citizens within the subregion a voice in the governance process especially given that modern democratic practice endows citizens with state powers-sovereignty. Therefore, it is no doubt that Giesen (2017) stated that such parliamentary assemblies exist as legitimizing institutions. According to Kumahia (2013), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament exists primarily to advance the tenets of democratic governance. Hence, Ehigiamusoe and Udefuna (as cited in Shehu, 2015), averred that the ECOWAS Parliament is one of the many institutions of the ECOWAS which serves as a “forum for advice, dialogue, consultation, consensus and representing the West African people for the achievement of regional integration in the region”.