Rabat, Kingdom of Morocco | 13 December 2025
Speakers and Presidents of African Legislatures have reaffirmed their collective commitment to democratic governance, parliamentary diplomacy and Africa’s strategic engagement in global affairs with the adoption of the “Rabat Declaration on Legislative Leadership in a Changing Global Order”. This emerged at the conclusion of the 3rd Annual General Assembly of the Conference of Speakers and Presidents of African Legislatures (CoSPAL), held in Rabat, Kingdom of Morocco, from 12 to 13 December 2025.
Convened under the theme “Legislative Leadership and Parliamentary Diplomacy in a Changing Global Order,” the General Assembly brought together Presiding Officers of African parliaments, senior legislators, development partners, international organisations, policy experts and observers at a time of profound geopolitical, economic and security transformations globally and across the African continent.
Opening the General Assembly, the Chairman of CoSPAL and Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, underscored the imperative for African legislatures to rise beyond traditional parliamentary functions and assume a more proactive role in shaping continental and global outcomes through legislative leadership and diplomacy.
Welcoming delegates to Rabat, the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Kingdom of Morocco, Rt. Hon. Rachid Talbi el Alami, expressed Morocco’s honour in hosting the 3rd Annual General Assembly and reaffirmed the country’s longstanding commitment to fostering dialogue and cooperation across regions and cultures. He emphasised that Africa’s evolving security and geopolitical challenges demand African-led solutions grounded in respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and self-determination, while underscoring the critical role of parliamentary cooperation in advancing peace, stability and collective resilience.
The Assembly also paid special tribute to the Pioneer Chairman of CoSPAL and former Speaker of the 9th House of Representatives of Nigeria, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, CFR, whose vision and leadership were acknowledged as instrumental for laying a solid institutional foundation upon which CoSPAL continues to grow as a credible inter-parliamentary institution. Participants from the following parliaments were in Attendance: Burkina Faso, Burundi, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Estwatini, Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.
Across two days of high-level deliberations, Speakers and Presidents agreed that Africa’s legislatures must serve as stabilising anchors of democracy, accountability and inclusion, while leveraging parliamentary diplomacy as a complementary instrument of foreign policy, conflict prevention and international cooperation.
A special closed session on 13 December enabled Speakers and Presidents to engage candidly. During the session, the Secretary-General of CoSPAL, Amb. ’Dapo Oyewole, presented a comprehensive report outlining progress made since the 2nd General Assembly held in Accra, and also unveiled strategic priorities contained in the 2026 Work-plan.
Participants commended the steady institutional growth of CoSPAL since its inception and reaffirmed its role as a continental institution for collaboration among African legislative leaders.
The Assembly further commended the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, PhD, GCON, for his extraordinary support towards the institutionalisation and operationalisation of the CoSPAL Secretariat in Abuja. Participants acknowledged the commitment of the Nigerian House of Representatives to strengthening CoSPAL’s administrative, technical and institutional capacity.
In a further outcome of the General Assembly, the Republic of Liberia formally expressed its willingness to host the 4th Annual General Assembly of CoSPAL in 2026, a proposal that was warmly received by Member Legislatures as a demonstration of continued Pan-African solidarity and shared ownership of the Conference.
In his closing remarks, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, alongside Rt. Hon. Rachid Talbi el Alami, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Morocco, expressed appreciation to all Member Legislatures and partners for their engagement and reiterated the resolve of African parliamentary leaders to remain united in safeguarding democracy and advancing Africa’s interests in a rapidly changing world.
