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An associate Professor of the University of Buffalo, USA, Dr Dorothy Siaw-Asamoah, has applauded Ghana's 30 years of uninterrupted parliamentary democracy, describing it as a beacon of hope on the continent.
She said Ghana's shining example must be the lynchpin for redefining the continent's future and provide hope for African youth.
Dr Siaw-Asamoah said this when she led a team from the All-African Students Union of the University of Buffalo to visit Ghana's parliament last Tuesday to familiarise with parliamentary processes and practices, as part of their Annual Global Experiential Programme in Ghana.
The All-Africa Students Union is the largest student movement in Africa and a very dominant force on the continent and beyond since 1972.
Its annual global experiential programme, in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, aims to provide students with an insight on how the parliamentary system in Ghana works.
Dr Siaw-Asamoah indicated that the visit was to promote a better understanding of Ghana's rich political and cultural heritage among the students, and to expose them to unique global and diverse experience in social innovation and entrepreneurial leadership.
The Associate Professor said Ghana's achievement should not be shelved but exposed to other African countries especially those in the sub-region to provide "some hope" that all was not lost.
The Director for Public Engagement in Parliament, Superintendent (retd) Effia Tenge, took the visitors through the evolution of the Fourth Republican Parliament, having moved from a one-party to a multi-party state Parliament, and the unique features the current Parliament presents.
She also seized the opportunity to throw light on Ghana's hung Parliament and how it has impacted the country's democracy.
The Head of Public Affairs, Kate Addo, presenting a lecture on Ghana’s democratic governance, with a perspective on social innovation, stated that Ghana remained a shining example of a democratic state in Africa, having successfully conducted eight consecutive general elections since the country returned to constitutional rule in 1993.
She said while the gains made over the last 30 years remained laudable, there was a need for the country to harness technology in order to use social innovation interventions to provide social goods for public utility.
A Senior Research Officer, Dr Abraham Ibn Zachariah, touched on the functions of Parliament and the legislative processes.
He applauded the passage of the Private Members Bill in the Seventh Parliament, which by his estimation has informed the introduction of bills by members in recent times unlike in the past when they were only laid by the government.
