By MARK LONGYEN

The ECOWAS Parliament has adopted a budget of 19,636,030 Units of Account (UA) (26 million dollars) for the 2026 fiscal year, and announced plans to commemorate its 25th anniversary in November.

The Speaker of the Parliament, Hadjia Memounatou Ibrahima, who announced this, said the development followed the recent conclusion of its 2025 Second Extraordinary Session in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

She said the budget was adopted by the Parliament during plenary, stressing that, beyond being a mere accounting act, it was the engine of parliament’s commitment to West Africans.

”It will enable us to carry out our priority missions, including implementing the conclusions of the seminar on AI, while ensuring virtuous and transparent management of public funds entrusted to us.

”This budget represents a five per cent increase compared to the 2025 fiscal year budget, reflecting an upward adjustment of UA 939,233 from last year’s UA 18,996,897.

”Out of the budget of UA 19,636,030 for 2026, the sum of UA19, 368,394 representing 98.64 per cent is expected to be financed through the proceeds from the Community Levy, while UA257,636, equivalent to 1.36 per cent, will accrue from other sources,” Ibrahima said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the ECOWAS Community Levy is a mandatory 0.5 per cent tax imposed on goods imported into ECOWAS member states from non-ECOWAS countries.

Member states are under statutory obligation to pay the community levy, which is the main source of funding for ECOWAS institutions and their activities.

Ibrahima, however, expressed dismay that some members of the community were still defaulting on the payment of the levy, and warned that, going forward; such would be met with sanctions.

She also said that the commemoration of its 25th anniversary in November would highlight the ECOWAS Parliament’s achievements in deepening regional democracy, cooperation and growth, amid formidable challenges.

The Speaker described the forthcoming anniversary as “a chance to showcase resilience and chart a more innovative, youth-focused future for the community”. (NAN)