Parliamentary Training Institute For Ghana

Mrs Joyce Bamford Addo THE COMMONWEALTH Secretariat has pledged its support towards the establishment of a Parliamentary Training Institute in Ghana to cater for the training needs of Parliamentarians and Legislative staff on the African continent.

The Training Institute would serve as a centre of Legislative excellence, train newly elected Parliamentarians and offer periodic training to continuing MPs and staff of Africa's Parliaments in particular.

This came to light when a four-member delegation from the Commonwealth Secretariat led by its Secretary-General, H.E. Kamalesh Sharma, called on the Speaker and the leadership of Parliament at the Parliament House.

The Secretary-General who was in the country on an African tour which would also take him to Nigeria, briefed the Speaker on current events within the Commonwealth, and expressed the hope that Ghana's positive democratic image would continue to serve as the guiding principle for emerging democracies.

Ghana's Parliament is an active member of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.

The Speaker, Bamford Addo, expressed gratitude about the Secretariat's support in establishing an Institute for Parliamentary Studies in Ghana.

The Second Deputy Speaker, Mike Oquaye, called on the Commonwealth Secretariat to help document best practices in Commonwealth Parliaments.

He said there was no need to reinvent the wheel, rather, “we should harness the collective knowledge of MPs for the benefits of all”.

The Majority Leader, Alban Bagbin said the establishment of the Institute for Parliamentary Studies was long overdue since there is none in Africa.

The delegation, which had since left for Nigeria, also discussed a wide range of issues affecting the two institutions as well as ways of forging close collaboration.

By Sheilla Sackey