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Marrakech – Lawmakers and international partners called on Wednesday for open parliaments to serve as a tool for rebuilding public trust in institutions and advancing transparency across Africa.
The appeal came during a parliamentary forum hosted by Morocco’s House of Representatives in Rabat under the theme “Open Parliaments in Africa.” The event was held as part of the broader African Open Government Conference.
Participants stressed the need for stronger cooperation among African parliaments and urged governments to adopt institutional frameworks that bring citizens and civil society into the legislative process. They also called for expanding access to public information and developing mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating government policies.
House of Representatives Vice President Mohamed Ghayate told attendees that open government and open parliaments are no longer “an intellectual luxury” but a democratic necessity. He described them as a direct response to citizens’ growing demand for transparency, participation, and accountability.
Parliament, Ghayate added, plays a central role in consolidating these principles as the institution that represents the popular will and oversees public policy. He noted that involving parliaments in openness initiatives is essential to restoring institutional credibility.
Ghayate also pointed to Morocco’s 2011 Constitution as a turning point in enshrining participatory democracy, particularly through the right to petition and the right to access information. He called for deeper engagement of civil society in designing, implementing, and evaluating public policies.
Aidan Eyakuze, Director General of the Open Government Partnership (OGP), argued that openness must extend beyond central governments to include all institutions responsible for legislating, representing citizens, and holding the executive to account.
He called for a shared-responsibility model involving central governments, local authorities, independent institutions, and parliaments.
Nicole Nkoa, Director of the Francophone Open Government Support Program, described the forum as a milestone in strengthening open parliaments across Africa.
She traced the momentum back to the 2022 Marrakech Summit, where several African parliaments began committing to openness agendas. Parliamentary networks, she explained, will facilitate the exchange of best practices and deepen inter-parliamentary cooperation.
African civil society representative Sammy Obeng noted that parliamentary involvement in open government initiatives has marked a significant shift in recent years toward a broader “open state” approach. Several African parliaments have already launched dedicated open parliament action plans tailored to their national contexts, he observed.
Obeng urged that the African Open Parliaments Network function as a platform for mutual learning and reform monitoring. He insisted that civil society must be embedded in the network’s structures, in line with OGP principles of institutional-civil society cooperation.
The forum builds on a continental process launched during a parliamentary session held in Marrakech on November 2, 2022, during the OGP Africa-Middle East regional meeting. That session produced the Marrakech Declaration, adopted by representatives of 15 African legislative institutions.
The forum culminated in the official launch of the African Open Parliaments Network, a continental framework for dialogue, cooperation, and the promotion of transparency, citizen participation, integrity, and institutional openness.
MWN with MAP
