DG NILDS Receives ECOWAS Commissioner, Pledges Stronger Regional Partnership

The Director General of National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Prof. Abubakar O. Sulaiman, received Dr. Kalilou Sylla, ECOWAS Commissioner for internal Affairs, who paid a courtesy visit to the Institute on 21st October, 2026.

Welcoming the Commissioner and his delegation, the Director General described NILDS as the intellectual arm of the National Assembly and the headquarters of the African Parliament for African Speakers. He stated that the Institute’s mandate is to strengthen legislative institutions and deepen democratic governance through research, training, policy analysis, and capacity building.

Prof. Sulaiman outlined some of the Institute’s core responsibilities, including providing capacity development and professional training for legislators and legislative staff, conducting research and policy analysis to support evidence based lawmaking, offering technical and advisory support to the National Assembly and other legislative and democratic institutions across the African subregion; and fostering partnerships and knowledge exchange with regional and international bodies. These responsibilities underpin the Institute’s efforts to promote effective, transparent, and responsive legislatures.

In his remarks, Dr. Sylla expressed profound gratitude to NILDS for its commitment to legislative and democratic development. He described the Institute’s role as a significant opportunity for West Africa to benefit from improved policies, trade, regional integration, security, and development, with strong legislative institutions at the forefront of this progress.