Freetown — Hon. Veronica Kadie Sesay, Head of Sierra Leone’s Delegation to the ECOWAS Parliament and Deputy Whip in the national legislature, has formally tabled the report of the 2026 First Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament before the House of Parliament.
The report details deliberations from the two-week session held in Abuja, Nigeria, earlier this year. It covers regional integration, democratic governance, peace and security, gender equality, artificial intelligence, domestic resource mobilisation, and the implementation of ECOWAS programmes and protocols.
Parliamentarians examined the security situation in the Sahel, where terrorist attacks and instability continue to threaten civilian populations and regional stability.
The session concluded with the adoption of a resolution calling for stronger cooperation among ECOWAS member states and engagement with the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) countries—Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger—on intelligence sharing, border security and joint efforts against terrorism and violent extremism. The resolution was informed in part by attacks in Mali, including those that claimed the life of a defence minister earlier in 2026.
Lawmakers also raised concerns about xenophobic attacks targeting West African citizens, particularly in South Africa, and ordered investigations into related incidents alongside broader threats to free movement and the safety of migrants and traders.
Other agenda items included a seminar on artificial intelligence organised with the Parliamentary Assembly of La Francophonie, examining its opportunities, risks and implications for governance; a tax policy roundtable focused on domestic resource mobilisation; and discussions on enhancing women’s participation in trade and economic development under the Association of ECOWAS Women Parliamentarians (ECOFEPA).
Sesay, who chairs the ECOWAS Parliament’s Committee on Gender Affairs, Women Empowerment and Persons with Disability and serves as President of ECOFEPA, has been a prominent voice on these issues.
The report further reflects country presentations on national progress in implementing ECOWAS texts, including the Community Levy, free movement protocols and gender equality instruments, as well as broader efforts on peacebuilding and sustainable development.
Tabling the document in Sierra Leone’s Parliament allows national lawmakers to review regional recommendations and align domestic legislation and oversight with ECOWAS decisions. It underscores the country’s active role in parliamentary diplomacy at a time when Sierra Leone recently hosted the 69th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government in Lungi in July 2026, where leaders reaffirmed commitments to integration, security cooperation and the planned launch of the ECO single currency in 2027.
Sesay, a long-serving SLPP Member of Parliament for Moyamba District (Constituency 094), has represented Sierra Leone in the regional legislature for years and previously led country report presentations. Her tabling of the session report continues efforts to ensure that ECOWAS outcomes inform national debates and support sustainable development across West Africa.
