Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has called for the adoption of an African Family Values Charter to protect the continent’s cultural identity and strengthen cooperation among African legislatures.
Speaking at the Fourth African Interparliamentary Conference on Family, Sovereignty and Values in Accra on June 3, Bagbin said no African country can protect its legislative sovereignty alone.
“No single African nation can safeguard its legislative sovereignty in isolation. When one country stands alone against unfair external pressures, it risks economic isolation,” he said.
He said a common African position would help countries resist external legal pressure and develop family protection laws rooted in African realities.
“The formal adoption of an African Family Values Charter at this conference will advance this vision,” Bagbin stated.
However, the Speaker cautioned that the defence of African family values must not be used as an excuse for violence, oppression or abuse.
“Defending African family values must never be used as a pretext for state-sanctioned violence, oppression, or denial of basic human security to any citizen,” he warned.
He said genuine African values must also protect women, girls, children, widows and orphans.
Bagbin urged lawmakers to pass laws that combat domestic violence, harmful practices, child labour and the economic exclusion of vulnerable people.
By Noble Crosby Annan
