Speaker of Parliament, Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin, has called on African legislators to place the family at the centre of governance and lawmaking, describing it as the foundation upon which national sovereignty and stability are built.

Delivering the keynote address at the 4th African Inter-Parliamentary Conference on Family Sovereignty and Values in Accra, Bagbin said true sovereignty does not begin at national borders or within legislative chambers but is nurtured within the family unit.

“The laws we enact, the budgets we approve, and the policies we oversee must reflect this reality,” he stated. “If the family breaks under economic distress, as we are experiencing now, or cultural alienation, the state itself loses its structural integrity.”

Bagbin, who also serves as Chairperson of the Inter-Parliamentary Union of Africa, urged lawmakers across the continent to treat issues of sovereignty with maturity and legal precision as Africa continues its quest for self-determination and development.

According to him, the continent’s founding leaders recognised the importance of family unity in advancing African integration and nation-building.

Citing historical examples, he recalled how Ghana’s first President, Kwame Nkrumah, married Fathia Nkrumah from Egypt as part of efforts to strengthen ties between North Africa and the rest of the continent.

He also referenced former Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe and his Ghanaian wife, Sally Hayfron, as well as Hastings Banda, who lived and worked in Kumasi before returning to lead Nyasaland to independence.

“This issue about family, making Africa a family, started then,” Bagbin said. “They knew the importance of the family unit and that the only way to get us to unite to form the United States of Africa was to have the family unit.”

He further encouraged participants not to limit their engagement to conference discussions but to take time to learn about Ghana’s history and culture.

“There’s an urgent need for us to preserve, even as we modernise and codify our identity in an increasingly globalised world,” he added.

The conference brought together legislators from across Africa to deliberate on governance, cultural preservation and the role of family values in public policy and national development.