*Ghana Speaker Bagin Hosts 4th African Inter-Parliamentary Conference, Urges Continent to Defend Family + Sovereignty*

 Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, today opened the 4th African Inter-Parliamentary Conference on Family, Sovereignty, and Values  with a call for African nations to anchor laws in cultural heritage while rejecting external pressure on domestic legislation.

Speaking at the gathering of Speakers, MPs, diplomats and traditional leaders, Bagbin framed the family as “the smallest unit of governance on Earth” and the foundation of true sovereignty. 

“True sovereignty does not begin at our national borders or within legislative chambers; it is born, nurtured, and sustained in the African family,” he said.

Rt Hon Speaker, Alban Bagbin warned that tying development assistance, trade deals, or resource agreements to legal changes “violates the principle of sovereign equality enshrined in the UN Charter.

 He argued African parliaments must legislate laws that “look like the people they are written to protect.”

 He pushed back on the Western nuclear-family definition, describing Africa’s version as an “intergenerational web of mutual responsibility” that serves as the continent’s oldest social safety net. 

Economic stress, migration, and unregulated digital content are fracturing that system, he said.

 Citing Article 18 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Bagbin said there’s “no irreconcilable contradiction” between traditional values and human rights.

 He called for laws that combat domestic violence, child labor, and exploitation of widows/orphans while defending cultural identity.

Explaining further, he urged adoption of an “African Family Values Charter” and stronger coordination through the Pan-African Parliament, ECOWAS Parliament, EALA and SADC Forum to prevent “forum-shopping” by external actors. 

He tied the effort to AU Agenda 2063’s Aspiration 5 on cultural identity.

Bagbin also paid tribute to Uganda for hosting the first three conferences and “keeping the torch aglow” before Ghana took over.

The 4-day conference in Accra brings together legislators to draft harmonized family-protection codes across the continent. Bagbin closed by telling delegates: “When you return to your capitals, let the resolutions… be translated into active bills, robust budgetary allocations, and rigorous oversight.”

He declared the conference officially launched.

Report by PKB