8th Africa Colloquium: Speaker Bagbin Urges Parliamentary Lawyers to Uphold Ethics, Integrity and Accountability
Speaker of Parliament Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin has called on parliamentary legal counsel across Africa to uphold ethics, integrity and accountability, warning that political interference and compromised legal advice could undermine constitutional democracy and erode public trust in Parliament.
He stressed that parliamentary lawyers must remain independent and impartial, placing their loyalty to Parliament as a constitutional institution, the Constitution and the public interest above the interests of political parties and individual office holders.
“Your ultimate responsibility is to the institution of Parliament, the Constitution, and the public interest that Parliament exists to serve,” Mr Bagbin emphasised.
The Speaker made the call in a speech delivered on his behalf by the Clerk to Parliament, Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror, at the opening of the 8th Africa Colloquium of Legal Counsel to Parliaments in Accra on Tuesday, October 13, 2026.
The colloquium was held under the theme, “Ethics, Integrity and Legal Accountability,” and brought together the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, parliamentary leadership, principal officers, Council members, Secretariat staff and delegates from parliaments across Africa.
Mr Bagbin said political promises alone could not deliver sustainable development without clear, enforceable and constitutionally sound laws.
He described parliamentary legal counsel and legislative drafters as critical to translating government policies into effective legislation capable of protecting public resources, managing natural resources and safeguarding vulnerable citizens.
He expressed concern about declining public confidence in African parliaments, citing Afrobarometer findings indicating that trust in Parliament fell from 52 per cent in 2011–2013 to 33 per cent in 2021–2023 across countries surveyed consistently.
According to him, restoring public confidence requires quality legislation, fair parliamentary procedures, effective oversight, responsible management of public resources and strict adherence to ethical standards.
He warned that unclear laws, unmanaged conflicts of interest and the absence of meaningful sanctions for misconduct could deepen public distrust and weaken democratic legitimacy.
The Speaker also cautioned against the selective use of legal opinions to justify political decisions already taken, saying such practices could expose Parliament to constitutional challenges and damage its institutional credibility.
To address these concerns, he proposed clear written instructions for legal opinions, peer reviews, proper documentation of competing legal interpretations, conflict-of-interest declarations and safeguards for lawyers who provide professionally defensible advice in good faith.
He further urged parliamentary legal counsel to apply consistent legal standards, irrespective of the political interests affected by their advice.
Investment in parliamentary legal services
Majority Leader, James Agalga rejected suggestions that parliamentary majorities and executives should view independent parliamentary legal counsel with suspicion.
He argued that effective governance depended on institutional stability, respect for the law and legislation firmly grounded in constitutional principles.
Mr Agalga said complex policy reforms, fiscal measures and bilateral investment agreements required rigorous legal scrutiny rather than automatic approval, stressing that parliamentary lawyers had a responsibility to identify constitutional weaknesses, improve legislative language and ensure that proposed laws could withstand judicial scrutiny.
He pledged support for improved conditions of service, modern research facilities, competitive remuneration and sustainable opportunities for continuing legal education and professional development.
Such investments, he said, were necessary to attract and retain highly qualified legal professionals within African parliamentary institutions.
Silencing minority voices
Minority Leader, Osahen Alexander Afenyo-Markin also called for stronger protections for the independence of parliamentary legal counsel, acknowledging that they often operate at the centre of political contestation and face pressure from parliamentary majorities and executives seeking legal flexibility or political advantage.
He urged parliamentary lawyers to refuse to draft provisions that contravene constitutional requirements and to provide honest, independent advice, even when their conclusions conflict with the preferences of influential political actors.
Mr Afenyo-Markin further cautioned against manipulating parliamentary procedures to marginalise minority voices or restrict legitimate debate and scrutiny.
He said independent legal counsel were essential to ensuring that constitutional safeguards remained effective, even when governing parties commanded parliamentary majorities.
He emphasised that non-partisanship should not be confused with passivity, noting that parliamentary lawyers had a responsibility to defend democratic principles and constitutional rights.
Conflicts of interest and AI risks
Attorney General and Minister of Justice Dr Dominic Ayine urged parliamentary lawyers to guard against undue influence from interest groups, development partners and commercial actors seeking to shape legislation to advance their interests.
He stressed the importance of identifying and declaring conflicts of interest to preserve the credibility and integrity of legal advice provided to Parliament.
Mr Ayine also highlighted the growing use of generative artificial intelligence in legislative research and drafting, cautioning that such tools could generate fabricated legal authorities or expose confidential parliamentary documents when sensitive information was uploaded to public platforms.
He encouraged delegates to consider developing a common African protocol to regulate the use of artificial intelligence in parliamentary legal services, with appropriate human oversight and verification of AI-generated material.
The Attorney General urged participants to strengthen professional standards and institutional safeguards to ensure that parliamentary legal services across Africa remain independent, ethical and responsive to constitutional requirements.
The Deputy Clerk to Parliament in Charge of Legislative Management Services and Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee, Mr Camillo Pwamang, said the Colloquium sought to build capacity of parliamentary lawyers and Legislative Drafter in the Africa region.
He charged participants to make use of the opportunity to learn and network and as well exchanged ideas to improve the legislation process of their respective parliaments.
The discussions underscored the need for African parliaments to protect the independence of their legal offices, strengthen accountability and ensure that legislation serves constitutional democracy and the public interest rather than partisan political objectives.
Source: Felix Nyaaba/expressnewsghana.com
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