The House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts will next week play host to parliamentarians and fiscal experts from across Africa as it convenes the 11th Annual Conference and General Assembly of the West Africa Association of Public Accounts Committees (WAAPAC) in Abuja.
The five-day gathering, which runs from September 8 to 12, will focus on the theme: “Strengthening Parliamentary Oversight of Public Debt: The Role of Finance and Public Accounts Committees.”
More than 300 participants are expected, including legislators, auditors, finance professionals, and policy experts from Cameroon, The Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone, as well as observers from Eswatini, Kenya, and South Africa. Regional parliamentary networks such as AFROPAC and SADCOPAC will also be represented.
Discussions will examine Africa’s growing debt landscape, strategies for ensuring sustainability, and the role of parliaments in shaping debt governance.
Delegates will also assess the institutional development of WAAPAC itself, with the sessions expected to conclude with country-specific action plans.
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Chairman of the House Committee on Public Accounts, Bamidele Salam, told reporters on Wednesday that the Abuja meeting would provide a rare opportunity for lawmakers to exchange ideas and strengthen collaboration on fiscal oversight.
“This conference is designed to deepen accountability, enhance transparency, and improve parliamentary responses to the debt challenges facing our sub-region,” Salam said.
The event will be formally opened by House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, while Finance Minister Wale Edun is billed to deliver the keynote address.
WAAPAC was formed in 2009 following a World Bank Institute initiative supported by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and the Parliamentary Centre, with the goal of improving parliamentary accountability mechanisms across Africa.