The Conference of Speakers and Presidents of African Legislatures (CoSPAL) Secretary General, Ambassador Dapo Oyewole, has advocated for increased multilateral participation in global governance processes as well as strengthened parliamentary collaboration.
During his speech at the 6th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in Geneva, Switzerland, Oyewole underlined the critical necessity for ongoing legislative cooperation, particularly in a world that is becoming more divided and unpredictable.
The global summit, which had as its theme “A World in Turmoil: Parliamentary Cooperation and Multilateralism for Peace and Justice for All,” brought together speakers and presiding officers from national parliaments all over the world to discuss ways to promote inclusive development, justice, and peace.
The high-ranking African delegation included Speaker of the House of Representatives Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, PhD; Nigerian Senate President Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio; and CoSPAL Chairman and Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin.
According to Oyewole, CoSPAL’s active participation in the meeting is indicative of the growing clout of African legislatures on the international scene. He emphasized how crucial it is for African parliaments to speak with one voice on issues and concerns that affect the entire continent.
It is crucial to have strong and visionary legislative leadership during this time of global fragmentation. Such gatherings give national speakers a unique and important chance to share ideas, build agreement, and develop cooperative solutions to global problems, according to Oyewole.
These platforms, which provide a forum for promoting the continent’s shared interests, are particularly important for African legislators. To help Africa’s parliamentary leadership communicate clearly and cohesively inside the international legislative framework, CoSPAL was founded,” he continued.
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Ambassador Oyewole commended the summit’s contributions from a number of African leaders, highlighting the powerful statements given by Bagbin, Akpabio, and Abbas in particular. Noting ongoing reforms to modernize parliamentary processes and boost citizen engagement, he cited Speaker Abbas’s speech on the digital transformation of Nigeria’s legislative practices as being especially progressive.
As CoSPAL prepares for its third General Assembly later this year, the Geneva conference provided a crucial forum for parliamentary leaders to restate their dedication to multilateral discussion and legislative collaboration in addressing global issues.
Oyewole emphasized CoSPAL’s determination to advance inclusive and resilient democratic institutions throughout Africa while forming significant alliances with the larger international community by saying, “As we expand CoSPAL’s reach internationally, we also aim to attract global engagement with our platform.”
