The second General Assembly of the Conference of Speakers and Presidents of African Legislatures (COSPAL) was held in Accra over the weekend with an impassioned keynote address from Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, Speaker of Parliament of Ghana and President of CoSPAL.
The two-day gathering, which brought together speakers and presidents of parliaments and national assemblies from across the continent, focused on strengthening Africa’s parliaments to address shared challenges and deepen their role in regional and global governance.
Addressing the opening ceremony on Saturday, October 26, Speaker Bagbin allayed concerns about CoSPAL’s purpose, clarifying that the organization was not established to compete with existing bodies.
He said, “This conference was not formed to rival or duplicate the objectives of any other organization. On the contrary, COSPAL aims to complement and support the work being done by various organizations across the continent.
The Speaker underscored COSPAL’s commitment to working with the African Union to fulfil the vision of ‘Africa we want,’ stressing the conference’s core objective to broaden the scope of ‘parliamentary diplomacy’ as a key tool in modern governance.
Speaker Alban Bagbin called on parliamentarians to take an active role in advocating for a new global governance structure that aligns with the continent’s aspirations.
“The structure we currently have allows multilaterals like the World Bank and IMF to engage only with executives, excluding the parliamentarians who approve these policies.”
“This belongs to the past, not the current realities of the world,” Bagbin stated, urging a shift in diplomatic protocol to include parliamentarians in international discussions.
He emphasized that as elected representatives, parliamentarians are the first responders to the public’s needs, particularly in times of crisis, making them crucial players in governance.
According to him, the people vote for legislators who are their first point of contact and should be seen as part of the arrowheads of governance, advocating for a central role for African legislatures in confronting global issues like climate change and economic disparity.
A critical agenda item for the assembly was the review and adoption of a draft constitution for COSPAL, developed by the Interim Technical Working Group.
In a goodwill message, Speaker of the Parliament of Malawi and Chair of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, Africa Region, Rt. Hon. Catherine Gotani Hara emphasized the essential role of African parliaments in shaping the continent’s future.
She described the forum as ‘a vital platform for deliberation, collaboration, and the pursuit of joint solutions to the Continent’s shared challenges.
Africa, Speaker Gotani Hara said, is at a time of profound transformation and her parliaments must play a crucial role in ensuring that the Continent’s development agenda is people-centred, sustainable, and inclusive.
She stressed the significance of COSPAL’s work labelling the Assembly as a ‘beacon of hope’ aimed at empowering African legislatures to become ‘agents of progress, stability, and prosperity.’
She assured that the forum’s conversations would strengthen legislative structures, processes, and funding mechanisms, thereby ensuring COSPAL’s success.
Rt. Hon. Vital Kamerhe, President of the National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of Congo and a board member of the Association Parlementaire de la Francophonie (APF), on the other hand, emphasized the need for African nations to harness their strengths and embrace collaborative parliamentary diplomacy for the continent’s development and peace.
Reflecting on Africa’s historical journey toward independence he encouraged African legislatures to honour the legacies of these African trailblazers by continuing to work together toward a prosperous future for the continent.
He said, “Africa faces challenges that require unified action. It is essential to accelerate the transformation of our continent into a world that won’t wait for us. We must leverage our unique resources and partnerships to attract progress and prosperity.”
In a related development, Speaker Alban Bagbin has been re-elected Chairman of the Conference of Speakers and Presidents of African Legislatures (CoSPAL).
