HOR : Nigeria To Host 11th West African Association Of Public Accounts Committees

The House of Representatives will next week host the 11th annual conference of the West Africa Association of Public Accounts Committees, WAAPAC in Abuja.

The five-day event, running from 8 to 12 September, will draw more than 300 lawmakers, auditors, and financial experts from across West Africa and other regions of Africa.

Discussions will centre on improving parliamentary oversight of public debts.

Delegates will also look at debt risks, the role of governance, and ways to increase transparency in borrowing.

WAAPAC was established in 2009 to provide a platform for sharing experiences among Public Accounts Committees.

Its founding members include Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, and Cameroon.

Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee Bamidele Salam, at a Media conference in Abuja, described Nigeria’s hosting as an opportunity to promote fiscal responsibility and accountability in the region.

He said the Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, would open the conference, with Nigeria’s finance minister, the UN Development Programme, and other global partners also due to address participants.

The conference is expected to end with country-specific action plans aimed at strengthening legislative oversight of public debt.

Oduyemi Odumade, Edited By Grace Namiji