IPNews-Monrovia-Liberia-28 September 2018: A 35-person delegation from the 4th Legislature of ECOWAS Parliament of 15 West African countries arrived in the country for a three-day border surveillance exercise on the Liberia-Sierra Leone border at Bo-Waterside in Grand Cape Mount County and the Liberia-Guinea (Ganta) border in Nimba County.
The head of delegation of Liberia to ECOWAS Parliament, Representative Edwin M. Snowe told newsmen yesterday, September 25 that the objective of the visit by members of the ECOWAS Parliament to Liberia is to tour the country’s borders as part of its delocalized activities.
He stated that the members of the ECOWAS Parliament will also assess the free movement of ECOWAS citizens in Liberia and how they are treated by Liberian security agencies.
It has been further disclosed that the ECOWAS Delocalized Information Committee will also visit local media institutions across Liberia.
Meanwhile, according to the itinerary of the borders surveillance of ECOWAS Parliament, members of the ECOWAS Parliament will leave Monrovia on Friday, September 28 for the Liberia- Sierra Leone border (Bo-Waterside).
“At the border, we will have a program and will interact with traders and locals of communities from both countries,” Rep. Snowe said.
On the following day, Saturday, September 29, the delegation will also tour the Liberia-Guinea border (Ganta) as well as interact with traders and locals of communities from both countries.
This weekend’s border tour of ECOWAS Parliament will be the second delocalized meeting of the Regional Parliament within a month. Members of the Joint Committee on Communications and Information Technology/ Education, Science and Technology/ Labour, Employment, Sport and Culture of the ECOWAS Parliament had a five-day meeting, presentations, discussions and debate at a local resort.
The ECOWAS Parliament is currently a non-legislative assembly that issues advisory opinions to the Authority of Heads of State and Government and the Council of Ministers as well as other ECOWAS Institutions. It draws its membership from the National Assemblies of ECOWAS member states. The Parliament is composed of 115 seats. Each member state has a minimum of five seats. The remaining seats are allocated to Member States on the basis of population.
ECOWAS Parliament aimed to enhance existing relations with West African citizens and intervene in core programs of the Community. In addition to the Goals for all Community Institutions, as identified by the Community Strategic Framework (CSF), the agenda for the 4th (fourth) Legislature will include Free Movement of Persons, especially the impediments at the borders, including Peace and Security in the sub-region especially terrorism and insurgency, arms proliferation, and cross border crimes.
