Language should be bridge, not barrier — Speaker Bagbin

The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has called for an urgent and collective action to eliminate all forms of language barriers that have impeded socioeconomic growth within the West African sub-region over the years. 

He said West Africa’s linguistic diversity, though culturally enriching, often posed challenges to effective communication and collaboration among member states. “Language should be a bridge, not a barrier, “he emphasised.

The Speaker made the call when the Heads of the National Boundary Commissions of West Africa, led by the Commissioner General of the Ghana Boundary Commission, Major General Emmanuel Kotia, paid a courtesy call on the Speaker in Parliament last Thursday.

The visit forms part of the group’s inaugural meeting of Heads of National Boundary Commissions of West Africa in Accra to establish mechanisms between national and regional actors for a better articulation of implementation of border governance strategies within the ECOWAS region.

The Speaker also highlighted the issues of unfair presentation of the size of Africa and its various countries, some of which were bigger than Europe and could project the continent better if addressed.

Mr Bagbin, accordingly, found the meeting significant in addressing those challenges and called for broader collaboration and partnership in that regard. He assured the Commission of Parliament’s support, particularly in the area of legislation to see to the fruitful work of the commission.