The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, has underscored parliamentary diplomacy as a critical tool for conflict prevention, democratic consolidation, and inclusive development across Africa.

Abbas made the assertion at the 3rd Annual General Assembly of the Conference of Speakers and Presidents of African Legislatures (CoSPAL), held in Rabat, Kingdom of Morocco, from December 12 to 14, 2025.

He stressed that modern legislative leadership must transcend routine law-making and embrace strategic foresight, institutional strength, and collective continental action to stabilise democracy.

“Legislative leadership in today’s world must go beyond law-making to strategic foresight, institutional strength and collective African action,” Abbas said. “Our parliaments must serve as anchors of democratic stability and engines for inclusive growth in an increasingly complex global order.”

Also speaking at the event, the Founder and Pioneer Chairman of CoSPAL and Chief of Staff to the President, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, CFR, reflected on the organisation’s origins, noting that CoSPAL was established to address a leadership gap in Africa’s legislative space.

“Africa needed a coordinated platform of legislative leaders capable of shaping regional and global conversations,” Gbajabiamila said, reaffirming CoSPAL’s vision as “a pan-African legislative institution for deliberation, coordination, cooperation and unified action.”

Presenting the CoSPAL Progress Update and 2026 Work Plan, the Secretary-General of CoSPAL, Ambassador ’Dapo Oyewole, disclosed that African legislative leaders had agreed on a forward-looking programme prioritising leadership development, capacity building, parliamentary diplomacy, and institutional effectiveness.

Oyewole said the work plan deliberately promotes women’s leadership, youth participation, and social inclusion within parliamentary processes, describing the agenda as a commitment to translating policy discussions into “measurable outcomes that enhance legislative leadership and parliamentary diplomacy across the continent.”

He commended the Kingdom of Morocco and the Speaker of its House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Rachid Talbi El Alami, for hosting the General Assembly for the first time in North Africa.

Oyewole also acknowledged the support of the Chairman of CoSPAL and Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, alongside Gbajabiamila and Abbas, for sustaining the organisation’s growth.

Earlier, Bagbin, in his opening address, urged African legislatures to move beyond traditional parliamentary roles and assume a more strategic position in continental and global affairs.

“Africa can no longer confine its influence to the walls of its parliamentary chambers,” Bagbin said. “Parliaments are not only law-making bodies; they are institutions of peace, development, accountability and global partnership.”

Held under the theme “Legislative Leadership and Parliamentary Diplomacy in a Changing Global Order,” the Assembly attracted presiding officers of African parliaments, senior legislators, development partners, and policy experts amid rising geopolitical uncertainty and democratic fragility.

Participants commended CoSPAL’s growing institutional relevance and adopted the Rabat Declaration on Legislative Leadership in a Changing Global Order, reaffirming their collective resolve to safeguard democracy, strengthen institutions, and advance Africa’s interests globally.