Accra, Ghana – Speaker Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin of Ghana’s Parliament has called on African legislatures to safeguard the family unit as the bedrock of national sovereignty, asserting that laws detached from African values risk being ineffective and disconnected from their citizens. He delivered this keynote address at the opening of the 4th African Inter-Parliamentary Conference on Family, Sovereignty, and Values, held at Parliament House in Accra on Wednesday.
The African Family as a Pillar of State
Speaker Bagbin emphasized that true sovereignty originates and is sustained within the African family, the fundamental unit of society. He urged fellow Speakers and Members of Parliament from across the continent to ensure that enacted laws, approved budgets, and overseen policies reflect this crucial reality. The integrity of the state, he warned, is directly linked to the stability of the family, which can falter under economic pressure or cultural alienation.
The conference, hosted by Ghana’s Parliament from June 3 to June 6, brings together over 300 delegates from more than 30 African nations. Its objectives include the drafting of a charter and legislative recommendations for African parliaments to adopt and implement domestically.
Challenging External Influence on Legislation
A significant point of critique from Speaker Bagbin was the increasing trend of development aid, trade agreements, and international cooperation being tied to legal frameworks that are alien to African societies. He argued that conditioning assistance on changes to domestic laws contravenes the United Nations Charter’s principle of sovereign equality.
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