Conference of Speakers of West African Parliaments to be reactivated
The Speaker of Parliament, Mr Edward Doe Adjaho, has pledged his support to efforts at having the Conference of Speakers of West African Parliaments (CSWAP) reactivated.
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He has also lauded the current Speaker of the conference, Professor Mathurin Coffi Naga, for his initiative to reactivate it.
Mr Adjaho was speaking during a courtesy call on him by Professor Naga, who is also the Speaker of the Beninois Parliament, yesterday.
“I am aware that after the third conference in Abuja in 2001, the association has not been very active. I am so happy that through your initiative and that of the ECOWAS Speaker, we met again in Abuja in September last year in an effort to reactivate, revitalise and consolidate what has been achieved so far,” he said.
Emphasis must not be on text
Stating his belief that every constitution and instrument attached to the process should have a clause for amendment he asked that stakeholders should not hesitate to amend clauses when the occasion demanded it.
He disclosed that he had put a team in place in the Ghanaian Parliament to look at the charter and make inputs where necessary, adding that some proposals had already been made by the team which would be made available to Prof. Naga.
Mr Adjaho said that would enable the secretariat working on it in Abuja, as well as Prof. Naga’s secretariat, to look at it and see how it would reflect in the text that would be the subject for discussion on the reactivation.
Reason for visit
Speaking earlier on his mission to Ghana as leader of an 11-member entourage, Prof. Naga said parliamentarians in the sub-region had a duty to support their heads of state to make their dream of regional integration a reality.
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“We have a duty as parliamentarians to support the heads of state to fast-track the integration process. If we don’t go with them, we will not achieve our aim of integration,” he stated.
Besides from his aim of dialoguing with his Ghanaian counterpart on ways to hasten the reactivation of the conference of speakers of Parliament, Prof Naga expressed concern over the security situation, conflicts, election processes, as well as the development process and financial crisis, in the sub-region and said the delegation hoped to discuss all those issues while in Ghana.
“If we continue to look up to European and American countries to sell our produce or develop our economies, I am sure we cannot do well,” he stated.
He urged countries in the sub-region to encourage economic integration, saying the region’s population of 300 million offered a big market for produce from countries in West Africa.
Prof. Naga also praised Ghana’s Black Stars for their performance against Germany at the World Cup last Saturday, saying he could not sleep and watched the match to the end.
Writer’s email: Edmund.Asante@graphic.com.gh