From 10 to 16 August 2025, Commonwealth Parliamentarians from across Africa met in Banjul, The Gambia to attend the 54th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Africa Regional Conference on the theme of ‘Strengthening democratic governance and resilience in Africa: tackling conflicts, economic shocks and climate change.’

The main programme included workshops examining the role of African Parliaments in tackling graft and corruption, boosting industrialisation and economic growth and empowering persons with disabilities to achieve full inclusion with the opportunity to share best practice and ideas from different CPA Branches withing the Region.

The CPA Regional Conference was attended by over 300 delegates from national and sub-national Parliaments across the CPA Africa Region including Speakers, Members of Parliament, Clerks and observers.

In his opening address, the Speaker of the National Assembly of The Gambia and President of the CPA Africa Region, Hon. Fabakary T. Jatta, wished delegates a fruitful conference and a memorable stay in The Gambia. In his opening remarks, he said: 

“Resilience means anticipating, absorbing and adapting to shocks. For Parliaments, this requires progressive legislation: economic diversification, social safety nets, disaster preparedness, and sustainable environmental practices.” 

The CPA Regional Conference was officially opened by the President of the Republic of The Gambia, H.E Adama Barrow, who said: 

“We inhabit a continent of ample potential, rich in human and natural resources, yet navigate a complex landscape of threats, instability, poverty and uneven development. True progress demands mutual trust, peace and stability as non-negotiable foundations.”

The Chairperson of the CPA International Executive Committee, Hon. Dr Christopher Kalila, MP (Zambia); CPA Secretary-General, Stephen Twigg and CPA Deputy Secretary-General, Jarvis Matiya were also in attendance. Speaking at the opening ceremony, the CPA Chairperson said:  

"The CPA’s work in Africa continues to be both relevant and impactful. I am sure that many Branches present have directly benefited from working with the CPA or being part of one of our programmes. From the online Parliamentary Academy, to Post-Election Seminars, to the Updated Benchmarks for Democratic Legislatures; CPA programmes are aimed at strengthening the functioning of parliaments and empowering us as parliamentarians to promote the democratic values that drew us into politics in the first place.” 

The Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) Africa Region and the CPA Africa Region Executive Committee also held meetings prior to the opening of the Regional Conference. The latter of these was presided over by the Chairperson of the CPA Africa Region Executive Committee Hon. Catherine Gotani Hara, MP, Speaker of the Parliament of Malawi, who is also the current Vice-President of the CPA Africa Region as host of the 55th CPA Africa Regional Conference due to take place in Malawi in 2026. 

The CPA Africa Region is one of nine CPA Regions across the Commonwealth, and it comprises 63 national and subnational Legislatures, and its Regional Secretariat is based in the Parliament of Tanzania. 

The CPA Gambia Branch was originally founded in 1949 and left the CPA in 2013 before returning in 2019, following Gambia’s readmittance to the Commonwealth in 2018. In recent years, the CPA Gambia Branch has worked closely with the CPA Headquarters on a self-assessment against the CPA’s Recommended Benchmarks for Democratic Legislatures and the CPA’s Model Law for ParliamentsModel Law for Parliaments was utilised in the revised Standing Orders for the National Assembly of The Gambia. 

The CPA Headquarters also provided technical assistance in the drafting of the National Assembly's first Code of Conduct for Members and the CPA Secretary-General, Stephen Twigg visited in June 2023.

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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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