Alexander Afenyo-Markin
Parliamentary CorrespondentThe Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin has underscored the critical role of Hansard, Parliament’s official record, as an indispensable pillar of democratic governance, urging African legislatures to embrace technology and invest in the training of parliamentary reporting staff.
Speaking at the 11th Biennial Conference of the Commonwealth Hansard Editors Association – Africa Region (CHEA-AR) in Accra, the Minority Leader said the value of Parliament goes beyond passing laws and adopting motions.
“They are also reflected in the integrity of the records we keep, the fidelity with which we chronicle our deliberations, and the depth of accountability we permit through public access to our proceedings,” he noted.
Tracing the origins of Hansard to the British parliamentary tradition of the early 19th century, he described it as “the institutional conscience of Parliament” and “a custodian of truth in moments where recollections falter or narratives are contested.”
He cited two Supreme Court cases in which Hansard provided decisive clarity and said the record had served as an impartial arbiter of fact, guiding the judiciary to landmark rulings.
“You are not just transcribers. You are archivists of democracy, guardians of legislative integrity and defenders of institutional memory,” he told Hansard editors, acknowledging their often unseen but vital work.
Mr. Afenyo-Markin called for parliaments across Africa to treat digitalisation of parliamentary records as a “democratic imperative” rather than a luxury. He urged the adoption of real-time transcription tools, artificial intelligence for indexing, and online archives, coupled with strong investment in human capacity.
“Technology alone is not a substitute for capacity,” he said, proposing that Hansard staff be included in all official parliamentary trips to ensure international programmes and engagements are properly recorded.
The Effutu MP also called for sufficient budget allocations for staff training and cross-border collaboration.
The Minority Leader commended the Commonwealth Hansard Editors Association Africa Region for sustaining a platform for peer learning, stressing that such cooperation can create “continental cohesion in parliamentary best practices” and deliver “shared solutions to shared challenges.”
By Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliamentary Correspondent