Mr. Bertin Somé has been chosen as the new Acting Secretary-General of the Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
In a statement released by the legislature on Saturday in Abuja, Speaker of the House Mr. Sidie Tunis announced the appointment.
It said that the nomination was made by the parliament to Somé, the former Director of Parliamentary Affairs and Research.
After Mr. John Azumah withdrew from active community service, Somé took office on November 1.
On November 20, in Abuja, Speaker Tunis formally introduced the acting secretary-general to the parliament personnel.
The speaker praised Somé’s personal, managerial, and other attributes throughout the event, noting his thorough understanding of the institution’s operations.
Burkinabe Somé began serving as a committee clerk in the ECOWAS Parliament in September 2009 and was named director of legislative affairs and research in February 2016.
He showed his attention to detail while holding the two jobs, especially when interacting with employees and lawmakers.
Somé had a long and fruitful career in the Burkina Faso National Assembly, holding a number of roles, before to joining the Community Parliament.
In addition, he served as the Speaker of the NASS’s Chief of Staff, Reporting Director, and Director General of Legislative Services.
There are 14 standing committees and 115 seats in the ECOWAS Parliament, with a minimum of five seats guaranteed to each member state.
The distribution of the final 40 seats takes into account each nation’s population.
As a result, Nigeria holds 35 seats overall, with Ghana following with 8 seats.
Then, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, Niger, and Senegal each have six seats, and Côte D’Ivoire has seven.
Each of the other ECOWAS members—Benin, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, The Gambia, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Togo—has five seats.
