Parliament, STAR-Ghana Foundation to hold Speaker’s Breakfast Forum on Monday

Parliament, in partnership with STAR-Ghana Foundation, will on Monday, November 20, organise a Speaker’s Breakfast Forum at the Alisa Hotel in Accra to consolidate the relationship between the House and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs).
The Forum, on the theme: “Thirty Years of Parliamentary Democracy under the Fourth Republic: Reflection on Citizens Engagement and the Way Forward,” also aims at exploring new ways of working together for accountable governance.
A statement issued by Mr David Sebastian Damoah Esq, the Director of Media Relations, Parliament House, copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra, said that formed part of Parliament’s crucial role in sustaining Ghana’s democracy.
Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament, would deliver the keynote address with Professor Akosua Darkwah from the University of Ghana, and Dr Rasheed Draman of the Africa Centre for Parliamentary Studies being the Guest Speakers.
In all 150 participants, drawn from Parliament, CSOs, Think Tanks, Trade Unions, and the Media among others are expected to attend.
It would help strengthen the relationship between STAR- Ghana Foundation and Parliament and leverage the partnership to enhance citizens’ engagement in the work of Parliament.
The survival of Parliamentary democracy in Ghana since independence for three decades was unprecedented, which commemorated the 30 years of uninterrupted Parliamentary democracy in the Fourth Republic and the Fifth Anniversary of STAR-Ghana, the statement said.
In recognition of the need for a more effective engagement with the public and a wider participation in the work of Parliament, it had decided to set up a Citizens Bureau within the Parliamentary Service.
“The Bureau will work to institutionalise Parliament-citizens’ engagement through partnerships with the media, CSOs and think tanks.”
These engagements would help bring the hopes and aspirations, concerns and anxieties of the public to the fore and enable Parliament to respond timeously to them.
GNA