Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament and Chairperson of the Inter-Parliamentary Union of Africa, Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin, has criticised what he describes as the increasing practice of tying development assistance and trade agreements to legal and cultural norms he considers “alien to our social cultural fabric.”
Speaking at the 4th African Inter-Parliamentary Conference on Family Sovereignty and Values in Accra, he said African parliaments have a constitutional responsibility to bridge traditional heritage and modern statutory law, particularly in shaping legislation on the family.
“Our constitutions empower parliament to act as the bridge between traditional heritage and modern statutory law. When African parliaments legislate on the family we fulfill a direct legitimate constitutional command,” he told delegates.
However, Bagbin warned of what he described as a “troubling narrative” in recent years, where development assistance, trade agreements, natural resource deals, and bilateral cooperation are made conditional on the adoption of external legal and cultural frameworks.
“Development assistance, trade agreements, natural resource agreements and bilateral cooperation have been made contingent upon the adoption of legal and cultural paradigms alien to our social cultural fabric,” Bagbin stated.
He further cautioned against the practice, arguing that it undermines African legal autonomy and is inconsistent with the principles of international cooperation, including the United Nations Charter.
