Reps, African Legislatures Push to Enhance Oversight of Public Debt
Reps, African Legislatures Push to Enhance Oversight of Public Debt
Over 300 parliamentarians, auditors, and public finance experts are set to gather in Abuja next week as the House of Representatives stressed the urgent need for African Parliaments to enhance legislative oversight of public debt.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja, Hon. Bamidele Salam announced that the 11th Annual Conference and General Assembly of the West African Association of Public Accounts Committees will take place from Monday, September 8 to Friday, September 12, 2025.
The event, themed “Strengthening Parliamentary Oversight of Public Debt: The Role of Finance and Public Accounts Committees”, will bring together key stakeholders to deliberate on improving debt accountability across the continent.
Salam, who expressed Nigeria’s readiness to host over 300 participants drawn from West Africa, Southern Africa and East Africa, expressed optimism that the 5-day event will provide a platform where “each country will bring their own experience, and then we will discuss, and by the discussion, we will learn from one another.
“So, perhaps we are doing better than some countries, perhaps we are doing worse. When we meet at that conference and Ghana speaks, Mali speaks, South Africa speaks, Tanzania brings their own experience on how they oversight public debt, we will be able to now strengthen our institutions to be able to deliver more.
“One of the outcomes of the West African National Public Accounts Committee, whenever we have conferences like this, is to leverage on the experience of Parliament in sister nations, what we call the peer review mechanism, where we can all learn from one another.
“And, of course, you will agree with me that when you have such opportunities, it improves your performance. There is no country that is an island of knowledge or an island of experience. Yes, Nigeria is the best.
“It is the biggest country. Nigeria is the most populous. We have the strongest democracy. But it is surprising to note that there are some areas where we do learn from some of these sister countries on how to do things better in terms of our processes of oversight, of planning, of budgeting, and so on and so forth.
“So one of the important outcomes expected is to have a system that works better in each of the participating countries, to be able to close all gaps, to be able to close all gaps, to be able to close all gaps, to be able to see even if there are new legislations that we should put in place as a result of the experience that will be shared by sister parliaments at that conference.
“The whole goal, the gamut of the goal, is to ensure that at the end of this conference, each of the parliaments participating, each of the organisations participating will go home with takeaways that will strengthen them to be able to deliver more on what the constitution of each country has placed on them to do.
“And of course, this is exactly what our own committee and our own institution will also be looking forward to. But beyond that, we are also looking forward to establishing the leadership of Nigeria in some of these regional bodies.
Hon. Bamidele Salam noted that before the current leadership of the Public Accounts Committee came on board, Nigeria had been disconnected from the organization and other African parliamentary bodies for nearly two decades.
He stressed that re-engaging in such platforms is a key aspect of parliamentary diplomacy, adding:
“Nigeria is the largest democracy and the most advanced economy in Africa. We are leaders, and we must demonstrate that leadership in practice. Through this conference, we aim to re-establish Nigeria’s position, enhance the country’s image, boost national morale, and showcase our hospitality while improving parliamentary practice and governance.”
Salam assured that Nigeria is fully prepared to host the delegates, with the Steering Committee—comprising representatives from the Nigerian Immigration Service, Federal Ministry of Finance, Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, Nigerian Air Force, Police, Department of State Services, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, and members of Parliament—already putting necessary arrangements in place.
He added that the conference will attract participants from West, Southern, and East Africa. The Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, will deliver the keynote address, while the Director-General of the Debt Management Office (DMO), alongside academics and representatives of global organizations, will present papers during the five-day event.
