The matter came up at the end of the two-day Swearing-in ceremony training for the new members of the ECOWAS Parliament held in Lomé, Togo. According to ECOWAS Parliament Director of Finance and Administration Anna Jagne, 2024 has noted the lowest of these levy contributions in recent years.
“In fact, community levy that finances 70-90% of the total annual budget of ECOWAS has greatly declined this financial year. This carries significant dangers for the functioning of ECOWAS,” Jagne said.
Awaji Abiante, a Nigerian Member of Parliament, believes that the challenges arise from the economic hardships of the member nations. ‘The community levy issue directly speaks to the situation of our economies. If our economies are under further decline, then it would be impossible to contribute to the regional fund.’
The Community Levy is a tax imposed by ECOWAS member states at the rate of 0.5% on the importation of goods originating from outside the sub region.
