The House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts is set to host the 11th Annual Conference and General Assembly of the West Africa Association of Public Accounts Committees (WAAPAC) from 8 to 12 September, at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja.
This was disclosed in a statement by the WAAPAC Secretariat in Accra, Ghana on Wednesday.
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Established in 2009 after a World Bank Institute seminar organised in partnership with the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) and the Parliamentary Centre (PC), WAAPAC brings together legislatures across West Africa to strengthen parliamentary accountability through peer learning and knowledge sharing.
Cameroon, The Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria, Liberia, and Sierra Leone were part of its founding session.
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This year’s gathering, with the theme “Strengthening Parliamentary Oversight of Public Debt: The Role of Finance and Public Accounts Committees,” is expected to draw over 300 participants, including lawmakers, auditors, fiscal policy experts, and public finance professionals from across West Africa and beyond.
According to the organisers, discussions will centre on equipping Public Accounts and Finance Committees with the capacity for effective oversight of public debt and borrowing, examining regional debt trends and risks, defining legislative roles in debt governance, and developing strategies to ensure debt sustainability.
The five-day programme will conclude with country-specific action plans aimed at strengthening parliamentary oversight of debt across the sub-region.
Delegates will include members of Public Accounts and Finance Committees, parliamentary staff, and Auditors-General from across West Africa.
Representatives from eSwatini, Kenya, South Africa, and parliamentary accountability networks such as the African Organisation of Public Accounts Committees (AFROPAC) and the Southern Africa Development Community Organisation of Public Accounts Committees (SADCOPAC) are also expected to attend.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja, the Chairman of the House Committee on Public Accounts, Bamidele Salam, confirmed that Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, will declare the event open.
The Minister of Finance will deliver the keynote address, while the conference will also feature presentations from the Chairpersons of WAAPAC and AFROPAC, as well as goodwill messages from the UNDP Country Director, global development partners, and parliamentary bodies.
Mr Salam described the event as an important opportunity to showcase Nigeria’s leadership in parliamentary accountability.
He stressed that the conference would provide a platform for countries to exchange experiences on public debt oversight.
“When we meet at the conference and Ghana, Mali, South Africa, or Tanzania bring their experiences, we will be able to strengthen our institutions to be able to deliver more,” he said.
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The chairman explained that Nigeria, as the largest democracy and most advanced economy in Africa, has a responsibility to demonstrate leadership in such initiatives.
He added that hosting the conference would also revive Nigeria’s active participation in WAAPAC and similar continental bodies after years of limited engagement.
Mr Salam highlighted the long-term benefits of the conference, noting that the lessons drawn from peer review and parliamentary exchange would help improve budget planning, oversight processes, and inform new legislation across participating countries.
“The ultimate goal is to ensure that each parliament and organisation represented leaves with practical takeaways that strengthen their capacity to deliver on their constitutional mandates,” he noted.
He also called on the Nigerian media to provide wide coverage of the event, emphasising that it was not only about parliamentary diplomacy, but also about projecting Nigeria’s image as a leader on the continent.
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