Speaker Among rallies African MPs to defend continental values

KAMPALA - Speaker of Parliament Anita Annet Among has urged African legislators to take collective responsibility in defending the continent’s cultural values and sovereignty.

This comes at a time Ghana prepares to host the 4th African Regional Parliamentary Conference on Sovereignty in Accra from May 27 to 30, 2026, following Uganda’s three-year stewardship of the initiative.

Tororo District Woman Member of Parliament Sarah Opendi, who has been at the forefront of organising the previous conferences in Uganda, said the country held the first conference in 2023, the second in 2024 and the third in 2025.

However, due to Uganda’s election cycle this year, it was not feasible to organise the fourth edition.

She made the remarks during a meeting between Among and a delegation from Ghana’s Parliament led by Second Deputy Speaker,m Andrew Asiamah Amoako.

The delegation was in Uganda to benchmark and draw lessons from the country’s experience in hosting the previous three editions.

Amoako said Ghana’s decision to host the upcoming session was both strategic and symbolic, building on Uganda’s groundwork in mobilising African legislators around issues of sovereignty, culture and values.

“We are here to take the mantle that Uganda started a couple of years ago, and that is about fighting for African values,” Amoako said. “Uganda has held this session three times and some of us have participated in all three. We have seen the importance of it.”

He explained that Ghana had initially resolved to host the next session last year, a period that coincided with both countries’ busy electoral calendars. Uganda subsequently agreed that Ghana could proceed with preparations for the fourth edition.

“Our mission is simple. We came to benchmark, to discuss what we have done so far, to identify where we may be falling short and to seek direction from the pioneers,” Amoako said. “From what we have observed and learned from Hon. Sarah Opendi’s team, we are confident and comfortable in hosting the fourth session.”

Among, in her remarks on February 12, 2026, emphasised that African leaders must take responsibility for shaping the continent’s legislative and cultural direction, rather than outsourcing solutions to external actors.

“The future of our people lies in us as leaders. If we do not sit on a round table like this and resolve our own issues, nobody will come from anywhere to solve them for us,” she said.

She urged legislators across Africa to enact laws that reflect and preserve their societies’ moral and cultural frameworks, noting that Uganda had taken decisive legislative steps in that direction.

“In Parliament of Uganda, we legislated and passed the Anti-Homosexuality Act, which is now in place. It has created enemies from outside, but internally we are at peace,” Among said, adding that the law was intended to curb what she described as the promotion and recruitment of homosexuality, particularly in schools.

“As leaders, African problems can only be solved locally by us,” she reiterated. “We must legislate for our people in a way that preserves our values and cultures.”

She pledged Uganda’s full support to Ghana as it prepares to host the Accra conference, including the possibility of sending a technical team to assist with planning and programme development.

“If you have not picked everything you need, we can give you a team to support you,” Among said. “We shall be there and we will even deliver a paper on our experience from the Ugandan perspective.”