Commonwealth Speakers and MPs from CPA Africa Region at 17th Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth Africa Region in Rwanda

This week, Commonwealth Speakers and MPs from the CPA Africa Region have met for the 17th Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC) Africa Region, hosted by the Parliament of Rwanda on the theme of ‘African Parliaments in the 21st century’.

The conference was opened by the President of Rwanda, H.E. Paul Kagame who said:

“Across the continent, Parliamentarians have raised awareness and provided support for pandemic response. As we continue on the path to recovery, Parliaments still need to be at the forefront of building Africa’s resilience against health threats. The pandemic exposed Africa’s vulnerabilities and reversed some of the gains we had made. I would like to encourage all of us to continue sharing knowledge, skills, and resources with one another. It is by collaborating that our individual efforts will be multiplied.”

The conference brought together twelve national Branches of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Africa Region including Botswana, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda as well as several Nigerian State Branches and South African Provincial Legislatures as observers.

The Speaker of the Rwanda Chamber of Deputies, Hon. Donatille Mukabalisa said:

"Gatherings such as this conference are indeed an invaluable opportunity to come together, as Speakers, Presiding Officers and Members of Parliament, as representatives of the people, to discuss, exchange and share best practices on how to challenge ourselves to respond to our people’s expectations, to provoke a new thinking in order to be at the heart of socio-economic transformation. The theme of our conference ‘African Parliaments in the 21st century’ is deliberately a wake-up call to our Parliamentary institutions to reconsider, review and readjust our methods of working, while respecting required procedures and delivering as expected at the same time.”

The Chairperson of the CPA Africa Region, Hon. Justin B. Muturi, Speaker of the National Assembly of Kenya said:

"The close relationship that the people have with their Parliaments gives us the opportunity to add our voices to the call for peace across the continent, with an expectation of being heard. As Speakers and Presiding Officers, it is our role to pass relevant legislation to formulate policies whose implementation will accelerate the solutions to Africa’s socio-political and economic challenges.”

The 17th Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC) Africa Region was held at the Kigali Convention Centre, which will next year host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).

For images of the CSPOC Africa Region conference please click here.

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The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association connects, develops, promotes and supports Parliamentarians and their staff to identify benchmarks of good governance and the implementation of the enduring values of the Commonwealth. The CPA is an international community of around 180 Commonwealth Parliaments and Legislatures working together to deepen the Commonwealth’s commitment to the highest standards of democratic governance.

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