African Parliaments Urged to Unite for Collaboration

The Africa Regional Conference on Parliament and Legislation (AfriPal) has been established to bridge the gap between parliamentary practice and academic research in legislation.   

Speaking at the inaugural conference in Kampala, Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda, the former Prime Minister of Uganda, said that AfriPal marks the birth of a new continental platform that connects parliamentary practice, academia, and leadership.

Rugunda explained that AfriPal was created in response to the compelling need to connect parliaments with the lived realities of the people. While commendable progress has been made in opening up parliamentary processes to citizens, Rugunda noted that a significant gap remains.

He emphasised the need for more international collaboration between lawmakers, scholars, researchers, and civil society actors, hence the formation of AfriPal to bridge this divide.

He further said that AfriPal envisions African parliaments that are not only relevant but also transformational, impacting both legislation and the shaping of inclusive policies that truly respond to the needs of African communities.

Rugunda called for dialogue that is clear, inclusive, and solution-oriented to help address the pressing challenges facing African legislators.

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Hanah Muzee, the chief convener, said that the inaugural conference has attracted representatives from over 135 countries across Africa and Europe.

Muzee stated that during the conference, discussions will focus on post-legislative scrutiny, a process that assesses whether a law has achieved its intended objectives. She explained that post-legislative scrutiny is a common practice in many European parliaments, such as the United Kingdom, but is rarely applied in Africa. The conference will explore how this practice can be adapted for the African context.

Martin Kizito from Uganda Christian University (UCU) expressed concerns that post-legislative scrutiny is a Western-oriented approach and may not be entirely effective in the African context. Kizito emphasised the need to develop customised frameworks that adapt Western legislative practices to suit Africa’s unique social and cultural environments.

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Additionally, Muzee also highlighted the importance of transforming parliamentary practices, particularly in Uganda and across Africa, through the integration of digital technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI). 

She noted that despite some progress in digitising parliamentary processes in Uganda, there remains a need to incorporate AI to enhance efficiency. For example, AI could be used to produce Hansards, the official parliamentary transcripts, more quickly after each session.

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She further noted that Africans communicate in diverse ways, with some parliaments conducting deliberations in local languages such as Kiswahili.

Muzee stressed the need to adopt AI tools capable of recognising and translating these languages in a way that is easily understood by the public.

The three-day conference will continue to explore how to leverage technology to transform legislation and promote citizen accountability across African parliaments.