Ambassador Olawale Awe, Head of the ECOWAS National Office in Nigeria, emphasized the need for synergy between the ECOWAS Parliament, the ECOWAS Commission, and the Administration and Finance Committee (AFC) to achieve the organization’s goals. Speaking at a meeting of the ECOWAS Parliament’s Joint Committee on Administration, Finance, Budget, Public Accounts, Macroeconomic Policy, and Economic Research in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Awe highlighted the importance of collaboration among these entities.
During his presentation on the theme, “The Working Relationship between the ECOWAS Parliament, the ECOWAS Commission, and the Administration and Finance Committee (AFC),” Awe stressed that effective coordination and collaboration are essential for the successful implementation of ECOWAS policies and programs.
“It is fundamental that these three entities work in synergy for effective coordination and collaboration to achieve the successful implementation of the Community’s policies and programs,” Awe said.
He explained that while the Parliament, Commission, and AFC have distinct functions, their roles are complementary in financial management. He argued that matters related to the Community’s economic and monetary integration policies, including the Community Budget, should be jointly decided by the Council of Ministers and Parliament, as outlined in relevant acts and regulations.
Awe, who also serves as the chairman of the AFC, noted that overlapping mandates between different arms of ECOWAS can sometimes lead to ambiguity and lack of coordination, hindering the smooth implementation of policies. To address this, he suggested adopting deliberate strategies to enhance and optimize the working relationship between the three entities.
He emphasized the importance of the AFC working closely with the Parliament’s Committee on Administration, Finance, and Budget Control, as well as the Commission, to ensure that budget allocations align with the Community’s priorities. Together, these efforts would improve transparency and accountability in ECOWAS’s financial processes and management.
Awe concluded by stating that only through a seamless working relationship between the Parliament, Commission, and AFC can ECOWAS’s financial and administrative practices support its regional integration and development vision.
