Reps panel to host West Africa conference on public debt oversight in Abuja

The  house of representatives committee on public accounts is set to host the 11th annual conference and general assembly of the West Africa Association of Public Accounts Committees (WAAPAC).

The event is scheduled to be held from September 8 to 12 in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

The five-day conference, themed ‘Strengthening Parliamentary Oversight of Public Debt: The Role of Finance and Public Accounts Committees’, is expected to draw over 300 participants, including lawmakers, auditors, fiscal policy experts, and finance professionals from across West Africa and beyond.

Legislatures from Cameroon, The Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and delegates from Eswatini, Kenya, South Africa, as well as parliamentary networks such as the African Organisation of Public Account Committees (AFROPAC) and the Southern African Development Community Organisation of Public Accounts Committees (SADCOPAC).

Discussions will centre on building the capacity of public accounts and finance committees, examining debt trends and risks, defining parliamentary roles in debt governance, and developing strategies to ensure debt sustainability.

The general assembly will also deliberate on WAAPAC’s organisational growth and governance.

The conference is expected to conclude with country-specific action plans aimed at strengthening parliamentary oversight of public debt across West Africa.

Speaking at a press briefing on Wednesday, Bamidele Salam, chairman of the house committee on public accounts, said the event will provide a robust platform for learning, engagement, and experience-sharing among committees and key stakeholders.

“It will help advance fiscal responsibility and transparency across the sub-region,” he said.

Salam said Tajudeen Abbas, speaker of the house, will declare the event open, while Wale Edun, minister of finance, will deliver the keynote address.

WAAPAC was established in 2009 in furtherance of efforts to strengthen parliamentary accountability, following a World Bank Institute seminar organised in partnership with the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) and the Parliamentary Centre (PC).