The ECOWAS Parliament has adopted a budget of 19.6 million Units of Account (UA), equivalent to $26 million, for the 2026 fiscal year.
Speaker of Parliament, Hadjia Memounatou Ibrahima, announced the approval following the conclusion of the institution’s 2025 Second Extraordinary Session in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. She said the budget, passed during plenary, would drive the Parliament’s priority missions, including implementing outcomes of its seminar on artificial intelligence, while ensuring transparent management of public funds.
The 2026 budget reflects a 5 per cent increase from the 2025 allocation of UA 18.9 million. Of the total, UA 19.3 million (98.64 per cent) is expected to come from the ECOWAS Community Levy—a 0.5 per cent tax on goods imported into member states from outside the region—while UA 257,636 (1.36 per cent) will be sourced elsewhere.
Ibrahima expressed concern over continued defaults in levy remittances by some member states, warning that sanctions would be applied going forward.
She also disclosed that the Parliament would commemorate its 25th anniversary in November, an event she described as an opportunity to showcase the institution’s achievements in regional democracy and integration, and to chart a more innovative, youth-driven future for the community.
