ECOWAS Parliament’s Bissau Meeting Calls For Declaration of State of Emergency On Food Security.

The decolised meeting of the Economic Community of West African States Commission (ECOWAS) parliament in Bissau, Capital of Guinea Bissau on Friday came to a close.

The parliament in their recommendation charged the ECOWAS Commission to meet member countries and declare food security as a national emergency.

By so doing according to the lawmaker, the political will by the authorities to act urgently to address the crisis will be built.

Reading the draft report of the meeting on behalf of the joint committee, a member of the committee and an MP from Nigeria, Hon. Oghene Emma Egoh said the meeting also recommended that the ECOWAS Commission should also liaise with the Nigerian Government to ensure that Fertilizer Manufacturing Companies in Nigeria sell to needy countries in the region first before exporting in bulk to other regions.

The Parliamentarians also frowned at the cutting down of trees to use as firewood and charcoal, stressing that it is greatly depleting the forest resources.

“The cutting down of the trees to use as firewood and charcoal is greatly depleting our forest resources, research and investment should be carried out to develop alternative sources of energy such as gas, solar and other biodegradable materials for use in domestic cooking and other household requirements.

“Regional, National and Local Authorities to partner and collaborate to enforce by-laws to prevent pollution of our rivers and agricultural land through such activities as illegal mining. Also, strict enforcement of emission and dumping of hazardous waste and other chemical pollutants.

“Develop and implement information and education strategies for the people to be aware of combating climate change.

“Governments should engage and partner with civil society and parliamentarians in these information and education dissemination.

“ECOWAS Commission to work with governments to come up with innovative strategy to mobilize funds to implement climate change initiative that enhance sustainable agricultural growth and production.

IBID to work with national governments to mobilize funds to set up Agricultural Development Banks to provide loans and credits to farmers to invest in acquiring land and purchasing inputs and machinery for modern and improved agriculture and farming.
Mobilize private sector in our various countries and outside investors to invest in climate change programmes and project.

“Already the regional Chamber of Commerce at the ECOWAS Commission is working to mobilize Chamber of Commerce in our various countries for their members to invest in agriculture and climate change programmes and projects.

“Declare food security as a national emergency, this will inspire the political will by the authorities to act urgently to address the crisis.

“ECOWAS Commission to work with the Nigerian Government to ensure that the Company manufacturing fertilizer in the country sell their fertilizer to the needy countries in the region, before exporting the bulk of it to Latin American Countries” he said.

He said the ECOWAS parliament will also work with National Parliaments towards the achievement of direct elections of MPs.

They also charged MPs to ensure the allocation of 10% of annual national budget to agricultural sector.

“ECOWAS Parliament to work towards the direct election of MPs, to ensure they have more effective legislative and oversight powers to hold the Executive arm of ECOWAS Community into account and be more involved in the development of projects and programmes that address the needs of the peoples they represent.

“MPs to work with their governments to ensure they provide the funds they committed unconditionally as counterpart funds to implement programmes and projects addressing climate change and agricultural production.

“MPs to work with governments to streamline donor funding and priorities national requirements rather than donor conditions.

“MPs to advocate and monitor the full implementation and compliance with the protocol on free movement of people, goods and services across the borders of all our countries.

“MPs to ensure 10%of national annual budget is allocated to the agricultural sector when they deliberate and approve the budget presented to them by the Executive.

“MPs to work with the Parliamentarians Initiative for Climate Change to sensitize their members and participate in climate change negotiations at national, regional and global levels.

“The Joint Committee should make the theme of their next delocalized meeting, the free movement and trade in agricultural products and food across our borders.

“If there is free movement and trade of agricultural goods and food across our borders it will lead to the attainment of 45% of food security within our region”, he said.

The Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Hon. Sidie Mohamed Tunis represented by the 2nd Deputy Speaker, Hon. Sani Malam Chaibou Boucary in his closing remark lauded the joint committee for the success of the meeting.
He expressed hope of a well and full implementations of the recommendations.

“For now, I would like to take the opportunity of this address to reaffirm that our priority is to continue to bring our peoples together and improve their living conditions.

“In this respect, our collective will to accelerate our resolute march towards integration must lead us to give more vigour and dynamism to our actions for better resilience to climate change and natural disasters.

I would therefore like to invite our States and our Governments to make the necessary efforts to provide the Community Institutions with the resources they need to jointly meet the challenges posed by environmental disturbances” he said.

The delocalized meeting of the Economic Community of West African States Commission (ECOWAS) Parliament Joint Committee on Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources/ Infrastructure/ Energy and Mines/ Industry and Private Sector started on Tuesday, August 23, 2022 and it has the theme: “A critical look at the ECOWAS Environmental Policy and Climate Strategy, as well as a biennial review of the agricultural production, food and nutritional security in Member States.”