Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament, the Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin is in Freetown Seirra Leone as head of the Ghanaian delegation to the 52nd Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) African Region Conference. The conference which commenced on June 3 is expected to end on June 9, 2022.
The meeting is on the theme “The role of African Parliaments in building an inclusive society to counter growing insecurity in Africa”. Among others, the participants will explore and share ideas and perspectives on how to strengthen democracy in Africa.
Speaker Bagbin is expected to address the meeting on ways to strengthen parliamentary democracy in Ghana and the African sub-region. He is expected to share his long term experience as an MP and a deputy Speaker and now the Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament.
In his role as the Speaker so far Bagbin has successfully enhanced the image of Parliament and restored the hope of Ghanaians in the legislature.
The African Region of the CPA comprises of 63 national and subnational legislatures with a mission to promote and protect the interests and perspectives of African Parliaments and countries, into the Commonwealth and beyond, and to promote gender equality, emancipation of women, and respect for human rights, freedoms, democracy and good governance.
The conference is being hosted by the Parliament of Sierra Leone in collaboration with the CPA Africa Region Secretariat, and brings together 400 delegates, observers and other participants from CPA Africa Region Member States (Branches) including; Ghana, Botswana, Lesotho, Zambia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Mauritius, Nigeria, South Africa, Eswatini, Cameroon, Namibia, Malawi and Tanzania, as well as sixteen Sub Branches; Nine from South Africa and Seven from Nigeria.
The Conference officially opened on Monday, 06 June 2022, at the Freetown International Conference Center, at the Bintumani Hotel, in Aberdeen, Freetown.
The Ghana delegation will participate in the plenary and side meetings of various committees including; Executive Committee, Commonwealth Women’s Parliament Steering Sub Committee, Constitutional Amendment Ad hoc Sub Committee, Regional Representatives Sub Committee, and Programme Planning and Finance Sub Committee.
Membership of the Ghanaian delegation also includes the leaders from both sides of the House – Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu and the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu. The rest are Cyril Nsiah Clerk to Ghana’s Parliament; Richard Acheampong Head of Speaker’s Secreteriat; Camillo Pwamang Member of the CPA Secretariat; Sheba Osei Head Parliamentary Relations; Akua Osei-Somuah Senior Assistant Clerk and another member from Speaker’s office Mahama Shaibu.
The CPA was founded in 1911 at a meeting of Heads of Government in Westminster Hall as the then-Empire Parliamentary Association and its affairs were administered by the UK Branch. The original members were Australia, Canada, Newfoundland, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom.
By Yesmeen Abubakarr Tetteh