United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and other stakeholders have challenged African parliaments to urgently rebuild public trust by becoming more responsive, accountable and effective.
They spoke at Bingu International Conference Centre in Lilongwe yesterday during the official opening of the 55th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Africa Region Conference and Annual General Meeting.
UNDP Malawi resident representative Fenella Frost said declining confidence in public institutions was threatening the relationship between citizens and those who govern them.
She said the defining governance challenge facing Africa was whether citizens still believed public institutions could improve their lives.
“Trust has become the most valuable currency of democratic governance. Without trust, reforms lose legitimacy, policies face resistance and development outcomes become increasingly difficult to sustain,” said Frost.
She also called for meaningful participation by women, young people, persons with disabilities and other marginalised groups, saying inclusive institutions were essential for stronger democracies and better public policy.
In his keynote address, Speaker of the National Assembly Sameer Suleman, who is also president of the CPA Africa Region, similarly acknowledged that public trust remains a challenge, including in Malawi.
He said the social contract between citizens and those who govern was under strain across the continent, with citizens increasingly distant from decision-making processes and young people demanding inclusion, dignity and opportunity rather than promises.
Suleman observed that the resulting mistrust was particularly concerning because MPs derive their authority from the people they represent.
“There are a lot of factors that have led to that mistrust. One of them is that we are not responsive enough, we are not playing the oversight role enough, and we are not being accountable and transparent enough,” he said.
CPA secretary general Stephen Twigg said the erosion of trust in political institutions was a global problem.
The six-day high level summit, attended by about 300 representatives from Africa and beyond, is being held under the theme ‘Renewing the social contract: Parliaments as catalysts for inclusive growth and citizen trust’.
Delegates include speakers, presiding officers, MPs, clerks and parliamentary officials from 17 CPA Africa Region branches.
