Africa-Press – Ghana. Alhaji Adam Iddrisu, Editor of Debate Chamber Reporting, Parliament of Ghana, has been elected President of the Commonwealth Hansard Editors Association-Africa Region (CHEA-AR) for a two-year term.
The election took place at the end of the Association’s 11th Biennial Conference held in Accra from Monday, August 11, to Friday, August 15, 2025.
During an interview after the closing ceremony, Alhaji Iddrisu revealed plans to revive dormant legislative assemblies and reach out to others to join the association.
Notably, the Republic of Togo, despite being part of the Commonwealth, is not currently a member of CHEA-AR, but the newly elected President expressed intentions to extend an invitation to them to join.
Alhaji Iddrisu mentioned initiatives that would be key under his leadership, including reviving dormant assemblies for re-engagement.
“Nigeria is an example; it has returned to the fold after a decade-long absence,” he said.
Further, he noted that the Association had amended its constitution to include regional parliaments, such as the East Africa Legislative Assembly and the South Africa Development Community Parliament Forum.
Alhaji Iddrisu also emphasized the importance of building capacity and sharing ideas among member Parliaments, including the ECOWAS Parliament and the Pan African Parliament.
On technological advancement, he said, “The association aimed to leverage technology, including artificial intelligence, to enhance Hansard production and reporting.”
The conference, themed “Charting the Future of Hansard: Embracing Technology and Innovation for Enhanced Parliamentary Reporting,” brought together 63 editors from various African parliaments to discuss best practices and challenges in parliamentary reporting.
Key resolutions from the conference’s communiqué issued by the Media Relations Department of Parliament to the Ghana News Agency, Accra, included investing in technological infrastructure, where countries were urged to invest in robust digital infrastructure, including internet connectivity, data centers, and cybersecurity measures, to support parliamentary operations.
On capacity building, the communique urged Parliaments to continuously develop the capacities of their Hansard officers and practitioners, especially in modern technologies, to enhance parliamentary reporting.
“Parliaments should collaborate to standardize the production of Hansards and the training of Hansard officers.
“Parliaments should effectively adopt and adapt appropriate technologies, including artificial intelligence, to enhance the production of Hansards,” the communique said.
It further noted that Parliaments should improve the turnaround time in the preparation, production, and publication of Hansards to aid readily available and accessible Hansard editors to the public.
The conference highlighted the crucial role of Hansard editors in shaping public understanding of parliamentary democracy and the need for them to leverage technology while preserving the continent’s unique parliamentary identity and voice.
As Speaker Bagbin noted, “Whatever we do will come to nothing without accurate official records.”
The Hansard department in Parliament is responsible for producing a verbatim report of debates in Parliament.
This report is considered “the institutional conscience of Parliament” and serves as an official record of parliamentary proceedings.
The five-day CHEA-AR Conference hosted by the Parliament of Ghana after 2014 aimed at sharing knowledge, ideas, and best practices in enhancing parliamentary reporting, promoting transparency, and improving accountability among CHEA-AR members.
It had participants coming from Ghana, Eswatini, Kenya, Lesotho, Nigeria, and Malawi.
The others were South Africa, Somalia, Uganda, Zambia, and Sierra Leone.
Among the discussions had at the conference included the exploring of AI-assisted transcription, digital publishing, social media integration, and improved indexing of the Bound Volume of Hansards, alongside ongoing ethics and neutrality in reporting.
Notable presenters included Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, a National Democratic Congress Member of Parliament for Klottey-Korle; Professor Seidu Mahama Alidu, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, and a Research Fellow at the Centre for Asian Studies, University of Ghana; Dr Rasheed Draman, Executive Director of the African Center for Parliamentary Affairs (ACEPA); and Mr Sammy Obeng, Executive Director, Parliamentary Network Africa, with topics ranging from accessibility of Hansard to CSOs’ reliance on parliamentary records.
Seventeen papers are slated, reflecting a diverse agenda that bridges tradition and tech driven.
For More News And Analysis About Ghana Follow Africa-Press
