Hon. Okpolupm Etteh, the member representing Eket/ONNA/Esit-Eket/Ibeno Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, recently participated in a high-impact parliamentary field visit to Côte d’Ivoire.
The event, which ran from Monday, June 24 to Wednesday, June 26, 2024, was organized by the Parliamentary Network on the World Bank and IMF, an independent network of over 1,500 parliamentarians in 158 World Bank and IMF member countries, founded in 2000 and currently governed by a nine-member international Board and the Chaired by Rt. Hon. Liam Byrne of the UK Parliament, aimed to facilitate dialogue and knowledge sharing and to increase transparency and accountability in the development cooperation process by fostering the oversight role of parliaments.
As the only Nigeria representative, Hon. Etteh’s participation in the visit yielded several key benefits including strengthening bilateral ties, gaining economic insights, sharing best practices, advocating for international support, and enhancing legislative cooperation among others.
It is noteworthy to know that the Parliamentary Network initiative underscores the critical role of field visits in promoting global economic stability and development, and Hon. Etteh’s active involvement and leadership during this visit exemplify the commitment to fostering international collaboration and mutual learning.
Participants at the three days event were the Minister of Legal and Constitutional Affairs Head of Delegation Jamaica, Marlene M. Forte MP; Chandrakanth Arya of the Canadian Parliament; Chair of Foreign Affairs and Development Committee Canada, Ali Ehsassi MP; Parliamentary Network Board Member Cote d’Ivoire, Madjara Tiegbana Coulibaly MP; President of the Economic and Financial Affairs Committee Cote d’Ivoire, Senator Mamadou Cisse; Issouf Traore MP; Abdoul Karim Diomande MP Cote d’Ivoire; President of the Committee for the Evaluation of Public Policies Cote d’Ivoire, Senator Bakaray Ouattara; Amira Saber of the Egyptian Parliament; Collins AdomakoMensah of the Ghanaian Parliament; Anthony F. Williams of the Liberian Parliament; Nadjo N’Ladon MP Togo; Vice President of the Senate of Spain, Senator Javier Maroto; Oleksii Zhmerenetskyi of the Ukraine Parliament, and Fortune Daniel Molokela-Tsiye of the Zimbabwe Parliament.
Highpoints of the event included an overview of the World Bank Group program in Cote d’Ivoire followed by a briefing with site visit project TTLs by the Country Director, Marie-Chantal Uwanyiligira; courtesy visit to the Minister of Economy, Planning, and Development, Governor of the World Bank Group, H.E. Kaba Niale; meeting with the Minister of Finance and Budget, H.E. Adama Coulibaly; meeting with the Speaker of the National Assembly, H.E. Adama Bictogo; visit of the Urban Resilience project and engagement with beneficiaries at Abobo-N’Dotré, in the outskirts North of Abidjan, as well as a meeting with the President of the Senate, H.E. Kandia Camara.
The Parliamentary Field Visit to Côte d’Ivoire provides Parliamentarians with the opportunity to witness concrete examples of the International Development Association (IDA)’s impact on the ground to help the poor and most vulnerable populations. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of World Bank Group operations through firsthand experience of projects and meetings with World Bank country teams and counterparts.
The visit also provides a unique occasion for dialogue among MPs in the delegation as well as with national parliamentarians, members of the senate, and government officials, giving participants a comprehensive overview of the host country’s development progress. By engaging with beneficiary communities, global peers, and World Bank staff, they gain invaluable insight into how funds are implemented and why investing in developing countries is crucial for global welfare. Parliamentarians can then take back their experiences to their constituencies for more informed parliamentary engagement and advocacy in the development debate.
The World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) is one of Africa’s largest sources of development financing and solutions. IDA has a decade-long track record of improving the lives of women and young people, accelerating digitalization, creating jobs, and building infrastructure. As IDA enters a critical replenishment year and Africa faces challenges from high debt to food insecurity, lack of energy, and climate shocks, there is a window of opportunity to scale up investments and help the region overcome challenges and realize a historic opportunity for growth and development. IDA is a safe repository for resources to be leveraged for transforming development in countries that need it most.
