Ricketts-Hagan Appointed Leader of Ghana’s Delegation to ECOWAS Parliament

Parliament has approved a reconstitution of Ghana’s representation to the ECOWAS Parliament, naming Deputy Majority Leader, Hon. George Kweku Ricketts-Hagan, as the new leader of the eight-member delegation.

He succeeds Hon. Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, the former Majority Leader and current Minority Leader, who previously led the delegation and also served as the Third Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament.

The reshuffle, which forms part of routine parliamentary adjustments, has sparked controversy within the House.

The Member of Parliament for Bimbilla, Hon. Dominic Nitiwul, criticized the process, accusing the Majority Caucus of making unilateral decisions without adequate consultation with the Minority side.

“The leadership should not be moving motions and asking the House to make decisions that they themselves ought to deliberate on first and bring to the rest of us,” he argued. “It is not for Parliament, simply because the Majority has the numbers, to impose its decisions on matters that concern joint representation.”

In defence, Majority Leader Hon. Mahama Ayariga explained that the reconstitution was consistent with long-standing parliamentary conventions, which typically assign ECOWAS parliamentary roles to Deputy Leaders of the House.

He assured that the changes were made in line with established procedures and in the best interest of Ghana’s representation within the regional body.

Composition of ECOWAS Parliament

The ECOWAS Parliament, also known as the Community Parliament, serves as the legislative arm of the Economic Community of West African States.

It is composed of 115 Members drawn from the 15 ECOWAS member states, with the number of seats allocated based on population size.

Nigeria, the most populous member state, holds 35 seats.

Ghana, with the second-largest allocation, is represented by 8 Members of Parliament.

Côte d’Ivoire has 7 seats.

Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, Niger, and Senegal each hold 6 seats.

Smaller member states like Benin, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Togo are each allocated 5 seats.

The ECOWAS Parliament plays a critical advisory and consultative role in regional governance, integration, peace building, and the promotion of democracy and human rights across the sub-region.

Although it does not yet have full legislative powers, it provides an important platform for citizens’ voices to be heard at the regional level through their elected national representatives.

Source: Felix Nyaaba/expressnewsghana.com