The Speaker of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, Hon. Sidie Mohamed Tunis has called for improved budgetary allocation to agriculture.
He said this will help address the challenges of food security in the sub-region.
The speaker made the call on Tuesday at the opening of the delocalised meeting of the Parliament’s Joint Committee on Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources/ Infrastructure/ Energy and Mines/ Industry and Private Sector in Bissau, the capital of Guinea Bissau.
Hon. Tunis who was represented by the Second Deputy Speaker of the Parliament, Malam Sani Chaibou Boucary, said food security will improve when the budget for the sector improves.
The speaker pointed out that terrorism in the sub-region and the war in Europe are negatively affecting the region and wants participants to come up with recommendations to save ECOWAS states.
“The implementation of the committee’s commitment in the area of environment is a major concern which is set in the affairs of the institution and the enhancement of the powers of parliament,” Hon. Tunis said.
“I called upon the joint committee to attentively listen to the presentations to be done by the ECOWAS Commission, the resource persons, and the ministry responsible for environment and agriculture issues in Guinea Bissau.
“That will give us an overview of the experience in total and I urge them to work in harness to come up with a complete recommendation which we need to improve agricultural productivity in the region and to strengthen the resilience of communities as they are besieged by climate change,” he continued.
In his remark, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Alieu Toure said the meeting will focus on major issues confronting West Africans.
Dr. Toure was represented by the ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, Massandje Toure-Litse.
He added that increasing erosion in the sub-region was causing food insecurity and other challenges.
He implored the participants at the meeting to come up with workable recommendations that will help address the identified issues.
“The topic of the joint meeting of the ECOWAS Commission is perfectly aligned.
“We will bear that in mind and we want to talk to you in a more detailed manner during this session on the environmental policies of ECOWAS and the strategies to be developed as well as the biennial review and food security in ECOWAS member-states,” he said.
“Our vision is to construct a community of people who are fully integrated and living in strategic peace and benefitting from all their fundamental rights and especially the right to clean environment and to have quantitative and qualitative food.”
