Members of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the ECOWAS Parliament have completed a three-day capacity-building workshop in Accra, Ghana, aimed at strengthening their oversight functions across the Community.
The training focused on equipping lawmakers to better monitor public expenditure by the ECOWAS Commission, the Parliament, and the Community Court of Justice.
In an interview, the Committee’s First Rapporteur, Senator Osita Izunaso, said the sessions have been highly valuable.
“This capacity building has helped us to carry out our legislative oversight duties more effectively,” said Izunaso, a Nigerian lawmaker representing Imo West Senatorial District.
He noted that the committee’s responsibilities had often been poorly executed in the past due to a lack of adequate training. “Members did not fully understand their roles or what they were supposed to do,” he explained.
Over the three days, the committee reviewed audit tracking systems and examined how to align their work with the administration, finance, and budget committees.
“Today we looked at the recommendations of the tracking system — how we can track the audit — and we examined our job as it relates to the administration, finance, and budget committee. We reviewed both our mandate and theirs to ensure there is no friction,” Izunaso said.
He added that the committee also identified challenges related to the limits of its powers within the Community Parliament.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso / Ghanamps.com
