Speaker Koon Commended
-For MRU Parliament Establishment
By: Fiona Benson Kollie
The UP Legislative Caucus has commended the leadership of the Liberian House of Representatives, through Speaker Richard Koon, for the establishment of the Mano River Union Parliament which was on Sunday, 20th July launched by all four members states in Monrovia.
The Unity Party (UP) Legislative Caucus, led by Bong County District #4 Representative, Robert Flomo Womba, extended the caucus profound commendation to the leadership of the House, particularly, Speaker Koon, for the historic establishment of the Mano River Union Parliament which, according to him, will boost the economic activities of all member states.
Representative Womba said the House of Representatives’ innovative decision marks a significant milestone in advancing regionalism and legislative diplomacy in the Mano River basin.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, the Chair of the UP Lower House Legislative Caucus, said the formation of the Mano River Union Parliament is a bold step towards strengthening political cooperation, fostering economic integration, and enhancing peace and stability among member states.
The UP Legislative Caucus believes that this platform is crucial for accelerating economic relief and development throughout the sub-region.
” By harmonizing laws, facilitating trade, and encouraging cross-border collaboration, the Parliament will create new opportunities for employment, investment, and sustainable growth for the people of Liberia and our sister countries,” Rep. Womba stated.
The Caucus commended Speaker Koon for his steadfast leadership and commitment to regional progress, and urged all members of the 55th Legislature to reaffirm their collective support to ensure that this new parliamentary body delivers on its promise to improve the lives of the citizens in the Mano River Union.
At the same time, the Speaker of the Sierra Leone Parliament Segepoh Solomon Thomas, described the establishment of the MRU Parliament as visionary and timely.
The Speaker Parliamentary meeting which was held under the Theme: “TOWARDS A REGIONAL PARLIAMENT FOR INTEGRATION, PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT”, took place in Monrovia on 20 July and brought to gather speakers of the four countries Parliaments.
In brief remarks, Speaker Thomas said the establishment of the MRI body speaks to a historic and forward-looking deliberation that also speaks to the future of the sub-region, to the shared destiny of the citizens, and to the boundless potential of regional parliamentary collaboration.
He noted that the imperative of an MRU Regional Parliament and the proposal to establish a Regional Parliament under the Mano River Union framework is both visionary and timely.
“The MRU nations—Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, and Côte d’Ivoire—share not only common borders but common burdens and aspirations: youth unemployment, security fragility, climate vulnerability, cross-border trade barriers, and the pressing need for infrastructure and economic integration. A Regional Parliament offers a structured and accountable platform to address these challenges through harmonized legislation, democratic oversight, policy alignment, and shared commitments,” Speaker Thomas added.
“Our Common Challenges demand Collective Solutions. Our countries have experienced the devastating effects of conflict, the fragility of post-conflict reconstruction, the threat of pandemics, and the uncertainty of economic volatility, and yet, we have also witnessed the resilience of our people, the value of peace building, and the promise of regional solidarity. It is precisely because of this dual reality—of challenge and opportunity—that we must institutionalize collaboration,” he noted.
According to him, a Regional Parliament, when established, will promote harmonized legislative frameworks to ensure predictability and stability in cross-border governance and trade, strengthen democratic accountability, particularly around the implementation of shared policy frameworks and regional treaties.
However, the Sierra Leone Speaker told the gathering that the situation will also facilitate structured dialogue among national legislators, giving voice to citizens across borders, support youth and gender inclusion, making region’s integration agenda not only about economic growth but social equity, advancing environmental stewardship, by coordinating resource governance in trans-boundary ecosystems, from the Mano River basin to the Upper Guinean forests.
He noted that presently, a united front in global and continental platforms, aligning with ECOWAS, African Continental free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and Agenda 2063 for Africa’s development, for Sierra Leone, the value of an MRU Parliament is clear, stating that It will enhance the reach and influence of various national Parliament in shaping regional laws that reflect ‘our’ national interests, accelerating trade facilitation, reduce customs friction, and promote investment corridors that can uplift ‘our’ rural economies and industrial ambitions, and will also offer a continental voice, ensuring that the specific needs of ‘our region’ are not lost in the broader AU and ECOWAS discourse.
He further said It will also deepen peace consolidation, particularly in our border areas, which often face overlapping ethnic, security, and economic pressures.
” Is a Call to Action Colleagues, we are custodians of history. This moment—this initiative—is our chance to engrave into the institutional fabric of our nations a regional mechanism that binds us together not just in aspiration but in legislative and democratic practice. Let this MRU Parliament not be a symbolic chamber, but a living body that crafts binding protocols, evaluates compliance, fosters inter-parliamentary dialogue, and upholds the principles of inclusion, transparency, and people-centered governance,” Speaker Thomas maintained.
He further expressed the Parliament of Sierra Leone readiness and is willing to support the noble endeavour from the ratification to the implementation, from structure to substance.
Speaker Thomas affirmed that integration is not a gift but a responsibility and the Regional Parliament of the MRU, once established, will be a testament to resolve problem, to work together, legislate together, and prosper together for the betterment of the coordination of MRU Parliament.