By Valentia Tetteh
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has opened the 11th Biennial Commonwealth Hansard Editors Association – Africa Region (CHEA-AR) Conference in Accra with a call on Hansard editors across the continent to embrace technology to enhance parliamentary reporting.
The five-day conference, which began on Monday, 11 August 2025, has brought together 63 delegates from ten African countries to deliberate on innovative ways to improve Hansard services in the digital age. It is being held under the theme: Charting the future of Hansard: Embracing technology and innovation for enhanced parliamentary reporting.
The Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, stressed the need for greater investment in technology to modernise parliamentary processes and improve public access to debates and decisions.
“The digital age presents a profound opportunity to modernise how our Parliament functions and how it is documented. Digitalisation must not be viewed as a loss; it is a democratic imperative. If we are to remain relevant to the youth of our continent and responsive to the needs of a rapidly evolving public discourse, we must embrace technology, not just to enhance efficiency, but to expand access and deepen accountability,” he said.
For his part, the Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, urged delegates to connect parliamentary work with young people and their preferred communication platforms.
“We are meeting in Accra at an auspicious time when technology is enabling your work and will make it even more relevant to the delivery of democracy as governance and the social good. Can we make Parliament more popular and democracy more acceptable by linking the work that you do — recording proceedings — with the youth and the social media platforms they are part of?” he asked.
The Clerk to Parliament, Ebenezer Ahumah Djietro, outlined steps being taken by Ghana’s Parliament to integrate technology into its operations.
“We are in the process of integrating artificial intelligence into the recording, transcription and editing of parliamentary proceedings and documents. We have also commenced the process of digitising all Hansard records, which forms part of a broader strategy to modernise parliamentary administration,” he explained.
Mr Bagbin underscored the importance of equipping Hansard departments with modern tools, saying:
“We must, as institutions, invest in the continuous growth of our Hansard officers, ensuring they are equipped not only to use new tools, but to lead their development. I therefore urge all governments and parliaments across Africa to provide the resources, recognition and respect that our Hansard departments truly deserve.”
Delegates are expected to use the conference to share best practices, explore emerging technologies, and develop strategies to make parliamentary debates more inclusive and accessible to the public.
