Speaker Bagbin to Convene African Parliamentary Leaders at 10th GITFiC in Accra
Speaker of Parliament Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin has agreed to convene parliamentary leaders from across the continent for the 10th Ghana International Trade and Finance Conference (GITFiC) in Accra, following a second consultative meeting with a GITFiC delegation on the Global Debt Initiative and the role of African parliaments.
The meeting, held in the Speaker’s office, reviewed progress on GITFiC’s Global Debt Initiative and examined how Bagbin’s role as President of the Conference of Speakers and Presidents of African Legislatures (COSPAL) could advance action plans adopted at the first and second Global Debt Initiative meetings ahead of the forthcoming third gathering.
During the engagement, the Speaker reaffirmed his strong support for the initiative, highlighting the historical roots of the global debt challenge and underscoring how GITFiC’s work under Agenda 2031 can support Africa and the wider Global South through improved debt management, sustainability and cancellation, while helping to prevent a return to unsustainable borrowing.
Bagbin directed his office to fully commit to the agreed action plans and, in his capacity as COSPAL President, to invite and host Speakers and Presidents of Parliaments from across Africa at the 10th GITFiC Annual Meeting. The gathering, which will also incorporate the Second AfCFTA Tertiary Students’ Congress, is scheduled for Accra in October 2026.
The commitment to continental debt reform aligns with broader pan-African economic conversations. Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu recently [claimed his economic reforms were stabilising Nigeria](/tinubu-claims-economic-reforms-stabilising-nigeria-despite-cost-of-living-squeeze) despite a severe cost-of-living squeeze, illustrating the tension between sovereign fiscal reform agendas and the everyday economic pressures facing citizens across the continent.
The GITFiC delegation was led by Mr Samuel Sarpong and accompanied by members of the National Technical Working Committee on Agenda 2031, which is responsible for the Global Debt Initiative and AfCFTA implementation.
The 10th GITFiC Annual Meeting is expected to provide a platform for African parliamentary leaders, policy makers and experts to engage with national, continental and global stakeholders on practical solutions to the debt vulnerabilities facing emerging and developing economies, in consonance with the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement.
Ghana’s role as host underscores its growing profile as a convening hub for continental economic dialogue, at a time when many African nations are grappling with the aftershocks of the pandemic-era borrowing surge, tightening global monetary conditions and the search for sustainable fiscal pathways.
Image Source: MYJOYONLINE
