Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin
Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has urged the Management Committee of the Parliamentary Friendship Association to foster strategic diplomacy, promote peace, expand trade, and encourage cultural exchanges with sister parliamentary associations across the world.
He, therefore, called on the Management Committee to develop comprehensive guidelines for its engagements and activities, and to promote innovation and strategic partnerships.
Mr. Bagbin gave the advice at Parliament House in Accra on Tuesday during the inauguration of the Management Committee of the Parliamentary Friendship Association of the Ninth Parliament.
He said the inauguration of the Association would usher in a new chapter in international diplomacy, and thus urged members to work with integrity, purpose, transparency, and accountability.
“This is why the inauguration of this Management Committee is so critical. It must not only exist in name but must be driven by action and focused on results,” he advised.
Mr. Bagbin charged the Association to make concerted efforts to exchange experiences and ideas with sister associations to foster renewed hope and peace across the world.
He encouraged the Association to sign memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with their counterparts globally in key thematic areas such as trade, technology, cultural exchange, education, and sustainable development.
He also underscored the need for the Management Committee to include independent and female legislators in its composition, noting that with the right leadership, international diplomacy would be strengthened to the benefit of all Ghanaians.
Kweku George Ricketts-Hagan, Chairman of the Management Committee and Member of Parliament for Cape Coast South, described the Committee as an important management structure and pledged to work assiduously to ensure it functions effectively and achieves its goals.
“It will take its oversight responsibilities seriously to bring renewed hope to the governance of the Association’s cooperation,” he assured.
Maher Kheir, Dean of the Diplomatic Corps and Lebanese Ambassador to Ghana, pledged to work collaboratively with Ghana’s Parliamentary Friendship Association to promote cooperation and integration among sister associations across the country.
Mahama Ayariga, Majority Leader and Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, said national parliamentary friendship associations serve as critical avenues for parliamentarians to network and address challenges faced by sister parliaments across the world.
He added that parliamentarians could also leverage their relationships with sister associations to contest for international positions.
Jerry Ahmed Shaib, Member of Parliament for Weija-Gbawe, who represented the Minority Leader, said that in view of complex global challenges, it was crucial to leverage national parliamentary friendship associations to build bridges and deepen interaction and diplomacy among parliamentarians globally.