Local parliamentarians take part in regional workshop on trade, security and gender sensitivity in Ghana |01 February 2022

The elected members for Grand Anse and Baie Ste Anne Praslin, Hon. Wavel Woodcock and Hon. Churchill Gill respectively, met with other Commonwealth parliamentarians from both Africa and the UK in a workshop recently to discuss the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic that has highlighted the need for effective response strategies to public emergencies.

The workshop, which was held in Accra, Ghana from January 24 – 26, 2022, also offered valuable insights into how parliamentarians may respond effectively to future pandemics and other public emergencies.

The two-day workshop was hosted jointly by the Parliament of Ghana and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) UK.

The workshop was an opportunity for UK and African parliamentarians to explore how parliaments may address trade and security issues when these events occur, and to consider their impact on democratic institutions.

The varying experiences of parliamentarians from across Africa and the UK provided an opportunity to exchange best practices and the responses of their respective states in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The parliamentarians in attendance represented 11 legislatures and had the opportunity to increase their capacity to scrutinize trade and security legislation as well as policy that incorporates gender.

Hon. Woodcock and Hon. Gill participated in working group sessions that involved discussions on how natural disasters and pandemics affect trade and security legislation and policy.

On Tuesday January 25, Hon. Woodcock participated in a session whereby he made a speech on Seychelles’ response to the Covid-19 pandemic, its impact on his work as a parliamentarian and the key considerations from a trade, security and gender perspective.

The aim of the workshop was to also build a network for parliamentarians to share good practices on effective scrutiny of trade and security legislation and pledge to take action to improve scrutiny of trade and security legislation and policy.

Participants present in Ghana were from the African regional parliaments of the Republic of Mozambique, Kenya, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Zambia, Ghana, Gambia and Seychelles.

The accompanying photos show Hon. Woodcock and Hon. Gill at the workshop.

Press release from the National Assembly secretariat