FJC Elected President of CPA Africa Region

The Speaker of the National Assembly, Hon. Fatoumata Jahumpa- Ceesay, has been elected President of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Africa Region for 2008-2010.

She was unanimously elected at the recent 54th CPA Plenary Conference held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

According to a press release from the National Assembly, the Honourable Speaker’s candidature was proposed by the Speaker of Zambia and seconded by Speaker of Lesotho, and there was no other candidate. Her election has made her the 1st African Woman Speaker to hold this position for over 40 years. Male Speakers have always held this position from Africa in CPA’s 100 years of existence. “Among her immediate assignments,” the release states, “are to bring back the Zimbabwe Parliament to the CPA family; lead the campaign of the International Parliamentary Union (IPU) presidency to be held in Geneva in October 2008, at the 119th IPU Conference, where Africa is putting up the Speaker of Namibia as its candidate.”

The 54th conference, held from 1st –10th August 2008, brought together over 800 parliamentarians, Observers, Clerks, Secretary-General/Secretaries of Legislatures, invitees, spouses and accompanying persons from the Commonwealth of Nations, including delegates representing Regional and State branches. Presently, the CPA branches exist in 169 national states, provincial and territorial parliaments, with a total membership of approximately 17, 000 parliamentarians.

The main theme of the 54th Plenary Conference was “Expanding the Role of Parliament in Global Society, Environment, Development and Security”.

Three plenaries and seven workshops were held. Speaker Jahumpa-Ceesay moderated Workshop 7, under the theme “Parliamentary and Civil Society Engagement for Better Policy Making”. 

Also under the leadership for the Africa Region, Speaker Fatoumata Jahumpa-Ceesay led the campaign team of the Malaysian Minister of Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage, Datuk Seri Abdul Shafie Apdal, who defeated Lord Paul of Marylebone, United Kingdom, for the position of Chairperson of the CPA.

Hon. Jahumpa-Ceesay was accompanied by Hon. Ousman Bah, Hon. Ebrima Jammeh and the Acting Clerk of the National Assembly, Mr. Momodou A. Sise.