The Africa Governance Centre (AGC), in partnership with the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) and the Conference of Speakers and Presidents of African Legislatures (CoSPAL), is set to convene the inaugural Strategic Legislative Governance Forum (SLGF) in Arusha, Tanzania, on October 7, 2026.
The high-level forum, to be held at the EALA Headquarters on the sidelines of the 153rd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), will bring together parliamentary leaders, legislators, governance experts, scholars and development institutions to examine the strategic role of legislatures in Africa’s economic and institutional transformation.
The forum will be held under the theme, “Legislative Statecraft and Economic Transformation in Africa.”
According to the AGC, the forum will provide a platform for African legislative leaders and governance stakeholders to explore how parliaments can contribute more strategically to shaping the policy, legal, regulatory and institutional foundations required for sustainable development.
The initiative comes against the backdrop of an evolving governance and economic landscape across Africa, marked by economic diversification, demographic change, technological disruption, climate pressures, changing global economic relations and efforts towards deeper regional integration.
The AGC said these developments require legislatures to move beyond their traditional roles of representation, law-making and oversight and become more strategic actors in policymaking, institutional design and the pursuit of inclusive and resilient economic transformation.
The SLGF will therefore place legislative statecraft at the centre of continental governance discussions, with participants expected to examine the role of legislatures in creating the legal and institutional conditions necessary for investment, economic resilience, inclusive development, digital transformation, climate action, infrastructure development and effective resource governance.
The forum will also provide an opportunity for participants to examine how legislative choices and institutional capabilities can contribute to durable policy frameworks and stronger development outcomes, while facilitating peer learning and the exchange of experiences among African legislative institutions and governance communities.
The organisers expect the discussions to generate practical policy insights and recommendations and strengthen collaboration between legislatures, governance institutions, researchers and development organisations.
The event will also formally launch the Strategic Legislative Governance Forum as a longer-term platform for continental dialogue, research, institutional learning and policy innovation on legislative governance.
The AGC said the initiative is intended to strengthen continental exchange on legislative innovation, institutional design and governance reform, while creating opportunities for partnerships among legislative institutions, governance organisations, scholars and development actors.
It said strengthening the strategic capacity of legislative institutions would be critical as Africa navigates a rapidly changing global economic, technological and political environment and seeks to build effective, resilient and development-oriented governance systems.
The Africa Governance Centre is a governance and policy institution focused on advancing research, dialogue, institutional development and policy innovation to support stronger governance and sustainable development across Africa.
