Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has warned that economic hardship, migration and cultural alienation are weakening the African family system.
Addressing the Fourth African Interparliamentary Conference on Family, Sovereignty and Values in Accra on June 3, Bagbin said the family remains the smallest but most important unit of governance.
“True sovereignty does not begin at our national borders, or within legislative chambers. It is born, nurtured, and sustained in the smallest unit of governance on earth. That is the family,” he said.
He warned that when the family breaks down, the state itself becomes weaker.
“If the family breaks under economic distress or cultural alienation, the state itself loses its structural integrity,” Bagbin noted.
The Speaker said many African families are under pressure as parents migrate in search of survival, young people move away from their roots, and children are exposed to values that may not pass through community guidance.
He said the African family has historically served as a social safety net, with grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles and the wider community sharing responsibility for children and the vulnerable.
Bagbin urged African governments to move beyond speeches and support families through policies on housing, child nutrition, maternal healthcare and social protection.
By Noble Crosby Annan
