Over 500 Commonwealth MPs Converges in Accra for 66th CPC General Assembly

Over 500 Members of Parliament,and Senators from the Commonwealth nations thronged in Accra,Ghana for the 66th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC).

The six-day Conference is being spearheaded by Ghana’s Parliament in collaboration with the Commonwealth Parliament Association (CPA) Ghana Chapter.

The CPA was founded in 1911 as the Empire Parliamentary Association and later transformed into the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association in 1948.

Currently, it has over 181 national and sub-branches across the Commonwealth’s nine regions.

This year’s conference marks the 17th time the CPA Africa Region has hosted the CPC.

Participants made of delegates, observers, and officials are from 56 National Branches (National Legislatures) and 111 Sub-National Branches (State/Provincial Legislatures) across the Commonwealth.

The event which commenced yesterday , September 30, ran in tandem with meetings, and workshops ahead of the 66th CPA General Assembly opening ceremony on Wednesday, October 4, 2023.

Ghana’s President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the Vice-Patron of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association would deliver the keynote address to the General Assembly.

Further, Parliament of Ghana would lead a workshop that focused on, “Combating the threat of terrorism to Statehood: the Role of Parliament.

Other meetings and workshops on topical issues to be discussed at committees level are human rights, peace and security, environment, economy, and gender equality.

Again, Ghana’s Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, who is the President of CPA, will preside over the General Assembly on Thursday, 5th October 2023, and also chair the Elections Committee of the Association.

In memory of Hon. Emilia Monjowa Lifaka, a former Deputy Speaker of Cameroon and a passionate champion of the CPA, an inaugural lecture will take place on Monday, October 2nd, 2023, at the Accra International Conference Centre. Open to the public, the lecture will pay tribute to her legacy.

Some selected tourist sites for participants to visit includes the Asantehene Palace, the Akosombo Dam, Cape Coast Castle, Kakum National Park, among other tourist sites within the Southern enclave of the country.