Addressing African legislators, at the opening ceremony of the fourth Ordinary Session of the fifth Parliament of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) currently underway in Midrand, South Africa, Guest of Honour, President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said that National Parliaments should “develop the capacity to insist on accountability in all aspects of people’s lives especial in governance”.
“I am a strong believer in the work of Parliament,” said H.E Akufo-Addo.
“In our respective countries, we often underestimate the importance of Parliament and consequently undermine its work. We cannot emphasise enough the role of Parliament in exercising the checks and balances needed on the Executive. We cannot emphasise enough the role of Parliament as the voice of the people. And we cannot emphasise enough the role of Parliament in setting the tone for public discourse in the country.”
H.E Akufo-Addo also praised Africa Union’s chosen theme for the year.
“The AU has chosen “Arts, Culture and Heritage – Levers for Building Africa We Want”, as its theme for this year, which is commendable. A continent is defined by many things. It is defined by its geography – to an extent. It is defined by its economy – to an extent. It is defined by many other things. However, nothing defines a continent more than its art, culture, customs, heritage and traditions.
He added: “Aspiration five (5) of Agenda 2063, which seeks “An Africa with a strong cultural identity, common heritage, shared values and ethics”, enjoins us to promote the history, identity, heritage and consciousness of African peoples and Diaspora. It further encourages us to tap into Africa’s rich heritage and culture to ensure that the creative arts are major contributors to Africa’s growth and transformation."
H.E Akufo-Addo also challenged the African continent to improve the livelihoods of its citizens.
“It is time to marshal our combined voices and say Africa deserves better, and Africans should not take part in impoverishing our continent and her peoples. We have it within our power to transform our economies and bring prosperity to our people. Let us join together to make it possible within our generation, and let us work together towards fulfilling, in our time, the pan “African” dream of a united Africa, which was so eloquently articulated by Ghana’s first President, Kwame Nkrumah, in the early years of independence,” he said.
Meanwhile, addressing the PAP on behalf of the Host Country, South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, H.E Naledi Pandor urged Africa to “invest in Higher Education.
“As a continent, we need to priorities education of our young people. Education is the future of this continent and if we are to develop and grow as a continent, we need to adopt strong policies towards education. With proper education, we can achieve more when it comes to homegrown solutions.”
