Ghanaian President praises African Parliaments for enhancing accountability

Midrand, South Africa (PANA) - Ghanaian President Nana Addo Akufo-Addo, has lauded the role played by the African National Assemblies in shaping the public discourse and enhancing governance.

In a speech before the fifth Pan-African Parliament (PAP) in Midrand, South Africa, President Akuffo-Addo said the National Parliaments had a duty to ensure enhanced accountability.

The accountability would be important for the realization of Africa’s vision of good governance and effective service delivery to the African citizenry, the President said.

Accordining to the African Union, the Ghanaian President’s visit and address at the Pan-African Parliament reaffirmed the importance of the AU organ parliament as one of the essential pillars to achieve the objectives of the African Union.

The House is also critical in achieving the aspirations in the developmental framework of Agenda 2063, the continental grand vision for economic and social development.

“I am a strong believer in the work of Parliament. In our respective countries we often underestimate the importance of Parliament and consequently undermine its work. We cannot emphasise enough the role of Parliament in exercising the checks and balances needed on the Executive. We cannot emphasise enough the role of Parliament as the voice of the people. And we cannot emphasise enough the role of Parliament in setting the tone for public discourse in the country," the Ghanaian President said.

He also underscored the importance for the African continent to improve the livelihoods of its citizens.

The Pan African Parliament is made up of members of Parliament nominated by various political Parties and endorsed by national Parliaments across Africa.

The House was created as part of the institution building by the African Union to drive a people-centred continental integration process. However, the role of the House in achieving its stated objectives or fostering regional integration remains to be felt across the continent.

“It is time to marshal our combined voices and say Africa deserves better, and Africans should not take part in impoverishing our continent and her peoples. We have it within our power to transform our economies and bring prosperity to our peoples. Let us join together to make it possible within our generation, and let us work together towards fulfilling, in our time, the Pan-African dream of a united Africa, which was so eloquently articulated by Ghana’s first President, Kwame Nkrumah, in the early years of independence,” the President stated.

The African Parliamentarians had convened to deliberate on, among other keys issues, the African Union (AU) theme for 2021 as the Year of the Arts, Culture and Heritage: Levers for Building the Africa We Want.

The President observed that the theme is aligned with Aspiration (5) of Agenda 2063, which seeks “An Africa with a strong cultural identity, common heritage, shared values and ethics” and therefore encouraged member states and all African citizenry to promote the history, identity, heritage and consciousness of African peoples and Diaspora even as we tap into Africa’s rich heritage and culture to ensure that the creative arts are major contributors to Africa’s growth and transformation.

He noted, “the AU has chosen 'Arts, Culture and Heritage' as its theme for this year, which is commendable.

"A continent is defined by many things. It is defined by" its geography to an extent. It is defined by its economy to an extent. It is defined by many other things.

However, nothing defines a continent more than its art, culture, customs, heritage and traditions."

Meanwhile, addressing the PAP on behalf of the Host Country, South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Naledi Pandor, urged Africa to “invest in Higher Education. As a continent we need to priorities education of our young people.

"Education is the future of this continent and if we are to develop and grow as a continent, we need to adopt strong policies towards education. With proper education we can achieve more when it comes to home grown solutions."

-0- PANA AO/VAO 28May2021