History made as ECOWAS Parliament elects first female speaker

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament has, for the first time in history, elected a female speaker to head the parliament.

The 2024 Second Extraordinary Session of the Sixth Legislature of the Community Parliament in Kano, North-West Nigeria, elected Memounatou Ibrahima from Togo as the new Speaker of the Community Parliament.

The Supplementary Act on Enhancement of Power’s provisions, which allow the speakership to rotate based on the alphabetical order of the member countries, led to her election as speaker.

Sierra Leone served as the fifth legislator in the ECOWAS Parliament.

Ibrahima was the third Deputy Speaker in the ECOWAS Parliament’s fifth Legislature.

She has been in the ECOWAS Parliament since 2021.

Persecondnews recalls that Senator Barau Jubrin was elected the first Deputy Speaker at the inauguration of the sixth Legislature of the ECOWAS Parliament on April 4, 2024, and had to act as the Speaker to avoid creating a vacuum of leadership at the Community Parliament.

During the inauguration of the sixth ECOWAS Legislature on April 4, 2024, the delegation of the Republic of Togo was not present because they had not conducted an election to enable the country to send its representatives to the Community Parliament.

Her parliamentary colleagues from Togo presented Ibrahima as their choice for the position in their country, leading to her election without opposition.

She was immediately presented with the instrument of authority, the gavel, by the Acting Speaker, Nigeria’s Senator Jibrin.