The President of the National Assembly of Côte d’Ivoire, Rt. Hon. Patrick Achi, has visited the Secretariat of the Conference of Speakers and Presidents of African Legislatures (CoSPAL) in Abuja ahead of his keynote address at the Gender and Inclusion Summit 2026 (GS-26).
Achi, who was received by the CoSPAL Secretary-General, Amb. ‘Dapo Oyewole, and senior officials of the organisation, discussed ways of deepening cooperation between Côte d’Ivoire’s National Assembly and CoSPAL.
The Ivorian legislative leader, who was accompanied by the Executive Director of the Policy Innovation Centre (PIC) and convener of GS-26, Dr. Osasuyi Dirisu, was briefed on CoSPAL’s strategic priorities, including strengthening parliamentary diplomacy and building partnerships to support Africa’s governance and development agenda.
Oyewole also updated Achi on the outcomes of CoSPAL’s 3rd General Assembly, held in Rabat, Morocco, in December 2025, as well as preparations for the organisation’s 4th General Assembly, scheduled to take place in Monrovia, Liberia, in December 2026.
He described Achi’s visit to the CoSPAL Secretariat as ‘a distinct privilege,’ noting that ‘Côte d’Ivoire has long been a valued and active member within the CoSPAL family and we had a rich and productive exchange on the priorities ahead.’
The discussions also focused on increasing Côte d’Ivoire’s participation in CoSPAL’s capacity-building programmes and peer-learning platforms for African legislators.
A key issue at the meeting was the Gender Legislative Agenda, a joint initiative of CoSPAL and PIC, which is expected to be pre-launched at GS-26.
Dirisu briefed the meeting on the objectives of the initiative and the commitment of both organisations to promoting gender-responsive legislation across African parliaments.
Dirisu said Achi’s presence in Abuja demonstrated the growing importance of gender-responsive governance to Africa’s legislative agenda.
‘We are delighted to welcome Rt. Hon. Patrick Achi to Abuja ahead of his keynote at GS-26. His presence and today’s engagement with CoSPAL underscore the growing recognition that gender-responsive governance is central to Africa’s legislative agenda,’ Dirisu said.
Achi, who assumed leadership of Côte d’Ivoire’s National Assembly in January 2026 at the beginning of the 2026-2030 legislature, commended CoSPAL for its role in promoting legislative cooperation across the continent.
‘CoSPAL occupies a vital place in the architecture of African legislative cooperation. I am pleased to reaffirm, on behalf of the National Assembly of Côte d’Ivoire, our full commitment to this important continental mission,’ he said.
Following the visit to the CoSPAL Secretariat, Oyewole led the delegation to the National Assembly, where they were received by the Majority Leader, Rt. Hon. (Prof.) Julius Ihonvbere.
The delegation also toured the National Assembly Library Trust Fund as part of efforts to deepen its understanding of Nigeria’s legislative institutions and explore further areas of parliamentary cooperation between Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire.
The engagement is part of CoSPAL’s continued outreach to Speakers and Presidents of member parliaments ahead of its 4th General Assembly in Monrovia, where Achi and other African legislative leaders are expected to participate.