The Conference of Speakers of West African Parliaments has adopted the Abuja Declaration to reiterate its commitment to the integration process in the region.
The Abuja Declaration was adopted at the end of the two-day 4th Conference of the Speakers of West African Parliaments in Abuja.
The declaration, a copy of which was made available to newsmen on Monday, reaffirmed the commitment of speakers of West African parliaments to tackle regional challenges.
They also declared to speed up the integration process.
Speaking with newsmen, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, the Speaker, ECOWAS Parliament, reiterated that the aim of the meeting was to establish the conference as a permanent operational forum.
Ekweremadu said that the forum would undertake all-inclusive inter-parliamentary functions.
He said: “We believe that we now have a bloc that can speak for the people of West Africa.
“Through this forum, we will engage executives of member states in manners that will be constructive to help them carry out their work more aggressively.
“We will also through this carry the message of integration to our homes so that people, through their elected representatives, know what ECOWAS is all about.”
The speaker said that the leaders of the various national parliaments would be able to enhance the implementation of ECOWAS protocols and treaties.
Ekweremadu said that the inter-parliamentary functions undertaken by the speakers would enable the “see areas of cooperation at the highest level possible which would not have been possible level of just the ECOWAS Parliament.”
Earlier, the conference, in its communiqué, resolved to enhance cooperation to address the challenges to insecurity and terrorism in the sub-region.
Speakers of the 15 West African countries were present at the meeting.
The meeting is expected to hold its next meeting in May 2014 in Cotonou, Benin Republic.
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