The 11th Biennial Conference of the Commonwealth Hansard Editors Association–Africa Region (CHEA-AR), has ended in Accra, with a call on African Parliaments to invest in technology and modernize their Hansard reporting systems.
Speaking at the closing ceremony in Accra, Speaker of Parliament, Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin emphasized the importance of equipping Hansard departments with modern tools, saying, “The digital age presents a profound opportunity to modernize how our Parliament functions and how it is documented. Digitalization must not be viewed as a loss; it is a democratic imperative.”
Speaker Bagbin noted, “Whatever we do will come to nothing without accurate official records.”
The conference, which was on the theme: “Charting the Future of Hansard: Embracing Technology and Innovation for Enhanced Parliamentary Reporting,” brought together 63 delegates from 10 African countries to share best practices and explore emerging technologies in Hansard 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 centres, 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,” it 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.
The 11th biennial Conference of the CHEA-AR opened in Accra on Monday, August 11.
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, 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, 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 Centre for Parliamentary Affairs; and Mr Sammy Obeng, Executive Director, Parliamentary Network Africa, with topics ranging from accessibility of Hansard to CSOs’ reliance on parliamentary records.
Source: GNA
The post African Parliaments urged to embrace technology in Hansard reporting appeared first on Ghana Business News.
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