Don’t allow language, artificial barriers divide our people - Bagbin urges MPs in West Africa

The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has urged West African countries not to allow artificial boundaries or language to divide them.

He said all West Africans were one people hence the need to put a good mechanism in place to eliminate language barriers and promote trade among African countries.  He made the call when the President of the National Assembly of Cote d’Ivoire, Adama Bictogo, paid a courtesy call on him.

The two-day official visit of the delegation from the Ivorian National Assembly is expected to strengthen and deepen the relationship between the two countries and contribute positively to Africa's regional integration and stability.

Mr Bagbin said the two Speakers later agreed to document all the initiatives and programmes seeking to break language barriers within the African Region for the benefit of their successive Speakers to continue what they have started.

Barriers

At a meeting with representatives of the Border Commissions in West Africa recently, they discussed the issue of artificial barriers and how to address them. The Speaker said Ghana had a lot to learn from the Ivory Coast in terms of the economy, the political structure and the way they do investment in infrastructure.

He said the relations between Ghana and the Cote d’Ivoire were real, saying “our friendship is deep and dependable”.  He said the name of the President of the Ivorian National Assembly, Mr Adama Bictogo, cut across the whole of West Africa. 

Platform

For his part, Mr Bictogo stressed the need for the creation of a common platform for Members of Parliament from both countries to share ideas. He also reiterated the need to promote trade among African countries.

He wished Ghanaians a peaceful general election in December and urged them to remain united. Mr Bictogo, who also chairs the Conference of All Presidents / Speakers of National Assemblies in Francophone countries, noted that in dealing effectively with Parliamentary Democracy, African countries must agree to share topics that promote education, planning for economic development, and transforming countries to become stronger.              

“Through cooperation, our weakness is covered by our strength, and as one family we must work together and create jobs for the population,” he stated.

He also used the opportunity to invite Mr Bagbin to address the National Assembly of Cote d’Ivoire in October this year.

Common goals

For his part, the Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, recounted how the two countries had been working together to achieve common goals and for the development of the African region.  

The Minority Leader, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, noted that beyond the language barriers, a lot needed to be done to promote trade with the African Region.

He cited for instance that shipping certain goods from Ghana to Cote d’Ivoire was more expensive than shipping them to the United States, which he said did not encourage trade among African countries.