Speaker Bagbin calls for combined efforts to combat poverty, deprivation in Africa
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has called for a collaborative effort by African leaders to address common challenges within African countries that have bedevilled the continents for several decades.
He said, as Africans, “We share a common destiny and face the common enemies of ignorance, poverty, and deprivation,” as he acknowledged that no single country in Africa can address these challenges alone because the continent is politically, culturally, and economically interconnected, and “collective action is therefore necessary to overcome these challenges”.
The Speaker was speaking at the opening ceremony of the 2nd General Assembly Conference of Speakers and Presidents of African Legislatures (Cospal) in Accra, Ghana, as the President of the Conference was confident that through this important CoSPAL platform, various Parliaments will work with the other arms of government and civil society towards fulfilling the aspirations of the people of the continent who have elected them to represent their interests and to pursue their welfare in securing a brighter future for Africa.
Touching on the conference, Mr. Speaker, CoSPAL is the first permanent platform that seeks to mobilise and unite Speakers and Presidents of legislatures across the great continent to support the agenda for Africa’s growth and sustainable development for the people.
Speaker deemed it important to “emphasise and to assure all stakeholders that CoSPAL was not formed to rival or compete with any existing organisations, or detract from their relevance, or to duplicate their objectives and activities. On the contrary, CoSPAL was formed to support and complement their work from the unique perspective of African Speakers and Presidents of National Assemblies”.
One of CoSPAL’s core objectives is to expand the frontiers of parliamentary diplomacy by working in close collaboration with executive arms of government and with other regional and international inter-parliamentary organisations, civil society groups, other key stakeholders, and most importantly, in alignment and close cooperation with the African Union.
As Speaker hoped that their deliberations will be characterised by constructive and productive dialogue and the sharing of experiences and best practices from our various countries and Parliaments, he was sharp to remind the gathering about the core tasks for this two-day conference “to consider and adopt the Draft Constitution submitted by the Interim Technical Working Group (ITWG), who were assigned that responsibility at the first General Assembly held in Abuja, Nigeria, in May 2022. In that regard, allow me on your behalf to commend the Chair and members of the ITWG for the extensive consultations and hard work that went into the collation of diverse opinions, observations, and suggestions into the draft that we have before us on day one”.
This will not only help strengthen our respective legislatures but also enrich the substance of the discussions during the consideration of the Draft Constitution for CoSPAL.