PNAfrica Participates in AFRIPAL Conference, Engages Uganda Parliament on Open Parliament Index

The Executive Director of the Parliamentary Network Africa (PNAfrica), Sammy Obeng, participated in a high-level plenary session at the 2025 Africa Regional Convening on Parliament and Legislation (AFRIPAL), held in Kampala, Uganda. He contributed to an engaging discussion under the theme:
“Reimagining the Ideals of Parliament: Openness as the Heartbeat of Democratic Renewal in Africa.”

The AFRIPAL Conference serves as a strategic platform for dialogue on parliamentary democracy and legislative affairs across the African continent. It brings together African legislators, civil society leaders, academics, and policy experts to champion innovative legislative practices and democratic collaboration. PNAfrica, a key stakeholder in parliamentary openness in Africa, expressed pride in contributing to conversations shaping the future of parliamentary democracy on the continent.

While in Kampala, Sammy Obeng also paid a working visit to the Parliament of Uganda. Facilitated by PNAfrica’s local partners, the Center for Policy Analysis (CEPA/Parliament Watch Uganda), the visit featured fruitful discussions with parliamentary officials on Uganda’s participation in the 2nd Edition of the Africa Open Parliament Index (OPI).

Uganda will be one of 33 countries assessed in the upcoming edition of the OPI, which is a legislative transparency tool developed to evaluate the level of openness—transparency, accountability, and citizen inclusion—in African parliaments. The maiden edition, published in 2022, assessed 13 national parliaments in West Africa.

The OPI seeks to achieve three core objectives:

1. Strengthen parliamentary institutions to advance openness across national and regional parliaments.
2. Foster collaboration between civil society and parliaments to promote open parliament principles and amplify openness initiatives.
3. Identify and exchange best practices in legislative transparency among parliaments and civil society organizations working with legislatures.

PNAfrica continues to promote open governance and citizen engagement by supporting innovative platforms like AFRIPAL and tools like the OPI.

Source: Clement Akoloh||Parliamentary Network Africa