Rabat: The African Network of Open Parliaments, a framework designed for the exchange of experiences between parliaments of “Open Government Partnership (OGP)” member countries and those aspiring to join, was inaugurated at the headquarters of Morocco’s House of Representatives.

According to Agence Marocaine De Presse, Rabat has been selected as the host city for the Network’s Permanent Secretariat, with the House of Representatives serving as its chair. The announcement came during a parliamentary day organized as part of the African Conference of the Open Government Partnership, the House of Representatives stated in a press release.

The conference was attended by representatives from Morocco’s House of Representatives, the National Assembly of Côte d’Ivoire, the Parliament of Ghana, the National Assembly of Benin, and the National Assembly of Senegal. The gathering also included the OGP Director General and several international partners.

The Declaration establishing the African Network of Open Parliame
nts outlines the Network’s mission to provide a framework for joint action, the sharing of expertise, and the mutual exchange of information on national practices. This encompasses openness, civil society engagement, digitization, and access to information for all.

The Network’s objectives include sharing parliamentary expertise and practices in areas of openness, data exchange, publication, documentation, and the preservation of Africa’s parliamentary memory. It also aims to integrate the principles and values of the Open Government Partnership into parliamentary practices during the preparation, implementation, and evaluation of their national plans for joining the initiative.