Economic Community of West African States  Parliament has identified technology and innovation as tools for shaping the future.

Speaker of the parliament, Memounatou Ibrahima, spoke at the meeting of the Joint Committee on Education, Science and Culture, Committee on Health, Committee on Telecommunications and information technology, with the, theme: “Prioritising education technology and innovation in ECOWAS  in Dakar, Senegal.

 The Speaker, represented by second Deputy Speaker, Adjaratou Coulibaly, said we must embrace models of learning to meet the changing world.

She said: “ECOWAS, is at a crossroads in the field of education. Traditional educational models, though fundamental, are being questioned.

 “Two decades after adoption of this protocol, we note significant progress. But we must also acknowledge lingering challenges, such as poor infrastructure, unequal access to digital tools and slow adoption by some member states.”

Citing former South African President, Thabo Mbeki, she added: “If Africa wants to take part in the global knowledge economy, it must allow every child to access information technologies from school.”

The Speaker stressed that technology in education should not come at the cost of human connection.

She said, “We must ask: what future awaits teaching when artificial intelligence supplants it? How do we prevent dehumanising education?

“We must build a West Africa where every child can learn, thrive, and contribute to prosperity of our community.”

Speaker of Senegal’s National Assembly, El Malick Ndiaye, called on leaders to support innovations that builds inclusive societies.

Ndaiye, who was represented by his deputy, Ismaila Diallo, said: “We must reinforce the core components of learning so that we can build a non-marginalised society.

“More than 1,000 startups are active in Africa, with over $3.4 billion raised in 2020 alone. This dynamism calls for bold, ambitious, and unified projects in education.”

Nigeria’s Minority Whip and Vice Chairman of ECOWAS Parliament’s Health Standing Committee, Senator Osita Ngwu, said: “The theme of this particular meeting is very important because the world is growing technologically. We have to stay in touch to be sure we’re not left behind.

“This is going to help us understand where we are, where we are supposed to be, and what we can learn from others.”

Speaking about artificial intelligence, Ngwu said ECOWAS must continue evaluating its laws to keep up.