The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Africa Region, is seeking the support of Ghanas legislature to elect the current Speaker of the Ugandan Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga, as chairperson of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP).
The election is scheduled for September this year at the Commonwealth Parliamentary International Conference Centre in South Africa.
Justice Abel Nathaniel Stronge, Speaker of the Sierra Leonean Parliament and an Executive Member of the CPA Africa Region, sought the support when he called on Ghanas Speaker of Parliament, Mr Edward Doe Adjaho, in Accra on Monday.
Justice Stronge is in the country to brief Ghanas legislature on the CPA Africa Regions programme of activities, and to request for the hosting of one of the CPAs programmes in Ghana, as well as consult with members on the way forward.
He told Ghanas Speaker of Parliament that it was time for an African to chair the CWP, and urged Parliament to nominate more women MPs to attend the meeting as delegates to nominate the Ugandan for that position.
Justice Stronge said that since the election was for only women, Parliament should select only women to attend the meeting so that they can increase the number of votes for the candidate.
All Commonwealth parliaments are allowed only four delegates at the meeting.
Justice Stronge is on the mission with another executive member of the CPA Africa Region, Mr Cletus Avoka, MP for Zebilla, to canvas support in all the West African commonwealth countries for the bid.
Mr Adjaho said Ghana would back the nomination of Mrs Kadaga because she is a competent and hard working. You can count on Ghana to do what has to be done to support her.
He said Ghana was fully committed to the ideals of the Commonwealth body adding that there was the need for further consultations to host its programmes in the country.
The Executive Committee of CPA Africa Region has endorsed the candidature of Ugandas Speaker of Parliament and outgoing Africa Region CWP Chairperson, Rebecca Kadaga.
Her endorsement is to be confirmed at the 44th CPA Africa Regional conference to be held in July in Namibia.
The CWP was founded by women delegates at the 1989 plenary conference, and women at future meetings could discuss ways to increase female representation in Parliament, and work towards the mainstreaming of gender considerations in all CPA activities and programmes.
In 2004, the group was formally recognized in the CPA Constitution and its elected chairperson become part of the CPA Executive Committee.
A Steering Committee of 10 members plans its activities and the current chair is Alix Boyd Knights, Speaker of the House of Assembly, Dominica.
Source: GNA
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