The ECOWAS Parliament has adopted a budget of 19,636,030 Units of Account (UA), equivalent to approximately $26 million, for the 2026 fiscal year.

 

 

 

The adoption followed the recent conclusion of the Parliament’s 2025 Second Extraordinary Session in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

 

 

 

Speaker Hadjia Memounatou Ibrahima announced the budget’s adoption on Tuesday, stressing that it is “the engine of parliament’s commitment to West Africans” and will enable the body to carry out priority missions, including implementing conclusions from a recent seminar on Artificial Intelligence, all while ensuring transparent management of public funds.

 

 

 

 

The 2026 budget represents a five per cent increase compared to the 2025 fiscal year.

 

 

The funding structure heavily relies on the mandatory regional tax system:Total Budget: UA 19,636,030 ($26 million).

 

 

 

Financed by Community Levy: UA 19,368,394 (98.64%), Financed by Other Sources: UA 257,636 (1.36%)

 

 

 

 

The ECOWAS Community Levy is a statutory 0.5 per cent tax on goods imported into member states from non-ECOWAS countries, serving as the main source of funding for the bloc’s institutions.

 

 

Despite the mandatory nature of the levy, Speaker Ibrahima expressed deep dismay that some member states are still defaulting on their payments. She issued a stern warning, stating that, going forward, such failure to comply with the statutory obligation would be met with sanctions.

 

 

 

In addition to the budget adoption, the Speaker announced plans to commemorate the ECOWAS Parliament’s 25th anniversary in November. The event will serve to highlight the Parliament’s achievements in deepening regional democracy, cooperation, and growth, while charting a “more innovative, youth-focused future for the community.”