African leaders must deepen inclusive governance - Bagbin

The Speaker of Parliament, Alban S K Bagbin, has urged African leaders to create special parliamentary constituencies for the youth to fully participate in governance.

He said the move would help young people get involved in the governance architecture of their countries.

“There is the need for a change in paradigm from the creation of geographical constituencies to a more inclusive social structure which mirrors the society parliament represents,” he said.

Courtesy call

The Speaker made the call when the Speaker of the Zambian National Assembly, Nelly Mutti, led a delegation to call on him in parliament last Tuesday.

The Zambian Speaker is in Ghana as part of a week-long bench-marking visit of the Standing Orders Committee of the Zambian Parliament.

The bench-marking visit forms part of efforts to deepen relations between Ghana and the Zambian National Assembly, as well as exchange notes on best practices within the legislative framework.

Inclusiveness

Mr Bagbin further stressed the importance of inclusive, accountable and participatory governance in parliamentary work.

He called for more opportunities to be created for the aged, physically challenged persons and other marginalised groups to also contribute to the growth of the society.

For her part, Ms Mutti expressed gratitude to Mr Bagbin and the Ghanaian parliament for the reception accorded her and her delegation.

She said Zambia and Ghana had a long history of cordial relations which had manifested in the various sectors and pledged her commitment to further improve the relations for greater mutual benefits.

She commended Mr Bagbin for bringing to bear his many years’ experience on parliamentary development.

That, she said, had kept both sides of the house together despite the political and ideological differences existing between them.