Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, the Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament, has rallied his fellow Speakers and Presidents of African Parliaments to step up efforts to combat poverty on the African continent.

“As Africans, we share a common destiny and face the common enemies of ignorance, poverty, and deprivation,” Speaker Bagbin said in his address at the Second General Assembly of the Conference of Speakers and Presidents of African Legislatures (CoSPAL in Accra.

“Let us remember that no single country can address these challenges alone. We are politically, culturally and economically interconnected, and collective action is therefore necessary to overcome these challenges.”

CoSPAL is the first permanent platform that seeks to mobilise and unite Speakers and Presidents of legislatures across the continent to support the agenda for Africa’s growth and sustainable development.

One of the core tasks of the two-day Conference in Accra is to consider and adopt the Draft Constitution submitted by the Interim Technical Working Group (ITWG), which was assigned that responsibility at the first General Assembly held in Abuja, Nigeria in May 2022.

“As we embark on this journey together, I am confident that through this important CoSPAL platform, our 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 us to represent them and to pursue their interests in securing a brighter future for Africa,” he said.

Speaker Bagbin noted that he deemed it important to emphasise and assure all stakeholders that CoSPAL was not formed to rival or compete with any existing organisations, detract from their relevance, or duplicate their objectives and activities.

He said on the contrary, CoSPAL was formed to support and complement their work from the unique perspective of African Speakers and Presidents of National Assemblies.

Adding consequently, 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.

He reiterated that Parliaments worldwide, including those in Africa, play a crucial role in the socio-economic development and democratic governance through their representational, legislative and oversight functions.

He said, however, that the traditional role of Africa’s legislative assemblies had been circumscribed by contemporary global economic challenges, the adverse impact of climate change, and threats to regional and continental security, all of which were changing the dynamics of global governance.

“As representatives of the people, our parliaments cannot sit aloof or operate on the fringes of the efforts to combat these challenges. We must be at the centre of those efforts if we are to meet the needs and aspirations of the people we represent,” he said.

“COSPAL therefore provides a unique opportunity for us, as Speakers and Presidents of African Legislative Assemblies, to lay a strong foundation in the creation of a united and common platform to deliberate on Africa’s developmental challenges and advocate for coordinated solutions.”

Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye, a former Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament, called on African leaders to take advantage of the continent’s abundant rich natural resources to develop it.

Mr Vital Kamerhe, President of the National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Member of the Board of the Association Parliamentarian de la Francophonie asked Africa to let the gun go silent so that they could develop their continent.