Consistent with the timeline of consultations agreed by CoSPAL Speakers at their meeting in Accra, the Chair of CoSPAL was offered the platform to brief his colleagues on the initiative and activities so far, on 4th January 2024 during a meeting of the Africa Group on the sidelines of the 27th Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth held in Kampala, Uganda. Before the meeting, the hosts circulated the updated Constitution and brief on CoSPAL to all attending Speakers.
In his briefing, Rt. Hon. Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana underscored the need for African Speakers to unite and speak with one voice, as well as the uniqueness of CoSPAL as the only platform that brings together Speakers to deliberate and contribute to debates on matters relevant to the continent and globally. In that regard, he emhasised the distinction between CoSPAL and other inter-parliamentary fora, like the APU. He also highlighted the encouraging outcomes of initial consultations with the African Union Commission and African Development Bank with regard to aligning CoSPAL within the AU structure, and the financial support for CoSPAL.
