The 11th Biennial Commonwealth Hansard Editors Association – Africa Region (CHEA-AR) Conference has ended in Accra with a call on African parliaments to invest in technology and capacity building to enhance parliamentary reporting across the continent.
The five-day conference, held from 11th to 15th August, brought together delegates from ten African countries to deliberate on ways to improve Hansard services in the digital age.
The gathering was under the theme “Charting the Future of Hansard: Embracing Technology and Innovation for Enhanced Parliamentary Reporting.”
At the end of deliberations, delegates made several far-reaching recommendations to African parliaments, legislatures, and assemblies. These include investing in technological infrastructure, systems, software, and tools to improve Hansard reporting, as well as continuously developing the capacities of Hansard officers, particularly in the use of modern technologies.
The conference further urged parliaments across Africa to collaborate to standardise Hansard production and the training of officers, while also facilitating and supporting the hosting and participation in CHEA-AR conferences.
Delegates also recommended that parliaments improve the turnaround time for the preparation, production, and publication of Hansard, and effectively adopt emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of parliamentary reporting.
Another key resolution was the call to make Hansard records readily available and accessible to the public, in order to strengthen transparency, accountability, and inclusivity in parliamentary democracy.
The Accra conference provided a platform for delegates to share best practices and explore innovations that will redefine parliamentary reporting in Africa, ensuring that the voice of the people remains at the heart of democratic governance
