THE Senator representing Akwa Ibom Northeast Senatorial district, Senator Aniekan Bassey, has recommended the establishments of a centralized digital platform where all budgetary documents were published and made public.
Bassey made the recommendation to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament on Thursday in Abidjan, Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, during a one-week delocalized meeting of the Joint Committees on Administration, Finance and Budget; Public Accounts; and Macroeconomic Policy and Economic Research of the Parliament, with the theme "Community Budgeting Formulation and Monitoring."
These were contained in a statement made available to newsmen on Monday in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state capital and signed by Senator Bassey's media unit Office.
The statement reads in part, "Senator Bassey, a member of the Public Accounts Committee of the ECOWAS Parliament advocated for the gradual empowerment of the ECOWAS Parliament to have a more significant role in the budgetary process, including the potential to have a say in the final approval of the budget.
"According to him, this could involve amendments to the Supplementary Act or relevant protocols, ensuring that the Parliament can act as a more robust check on the executive bodies of ECOWAS.
"He recommended the establishments of a centralized digital platform where all budgetary documents, including draft budgets, financial reports, and audit results, are published and accessible to the public.
"This platform should also include mechanisms for tracking the implementation of budgetary allocations and the outcomes of funded projects"
According to the statement Bassey also recommended to the Parliament's Committees to advocate for the establishment of a standardized data collection and reporting framework that all ECOWAS institutions and member states must adhere to.
He further called on the committees to also advocate for the inclusion of specific budgetary provisions that support regional integration initiatives, such as cross-border infrastructure projects, harmonization of trade policies, and regional security cooperation.
He stressed that there was need for the Parliament to develop a participatory budgeting framework that would foster regional integration, good governance, strengthening the Legislative Power of the ECOWAS Parliament, Transparency and Accountability; improving data collection and information Sharing, addressing political and Institutional Challenges, promoting Equitable resource allocation, among few others.
The statement added that Senator Bassey thanked the presiding Chairman of the Joint Committee, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, for being a strong advocate for a paradigm shift in the sub-region's budgeting policy, particularly regarding parliamentary autonomy and powers for the sub-regional leadership.
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