The first female Speaker of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament is Maimunatu Ibrahima from Togo. She was sworn in at the second extraordinary session of the parliament in Kano. Ibrahima was nominated by members from Togo and elected unopposed, following a rotational system for the speakership based on alphabetical order of countries within ECOWAS. She succeeded Barau Jubrin from Nigeria, who had been acting as Speaker due to Togo’s absence at the previous session.
In her acceptance speech, Ibrahima expressed gratitude for being elected as the first female speaker and pledged to work towards advancing the integration of the West African sub-region. She also emphasized her commitment to improving the image and responsibility of the parliament under her leadership.
Ibrahima has been a member of the ECOWAS Parliament since 2021 and previously served as the third Deputy Speaker in the fifth legislature.
