Saraki, Chaudhury To Chair Commonwealth Summit

President of the Senate of
Nigeria, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki and Speaker of the Parliament of Bangladesh and Chair of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), Dr. Shirin Chaudhury, have been appointed to co-chair the Commonwealth Africa Summit Parliamentary Roundtable.
A statement issued by the CPA office in London, yesterday, explained that Chaudhury, the first woman speaker of Bangladesh Parliament, has experience of working with Commonwealth countries and governments.
The statement added that she was involved in implementing the Commonwealth Gender Plan of Action, and held the Commonwealth Gender Chair for two years, and helped Bangladesh host the successful 10th Commonwealth Women Affairs Ministers’ Meeting in 2013.
According to the CPA, the State Minister for Women and Children, promoted gender equality, and contributed in formulating National Women Development Policy, Children Policy and Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Act.
A Commonwealth scholar, she completed Doctor of Philosophy in Law from University of Essex, UK (2000) and was conferred an Honorary PhD in 2014.
Shirin was awarded Asia Society’s Humanitarian Services Award in 2010 for her role in preventing violence against women and has been a practicing Advocate of Bangladesh Supreme Court since 2009.
Chaudhury was elected as the chairperson of the CPA Executive Committee in October 2014 during the annual Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference and General Assembly of the CPA, the statement said, and hoped that she would unleash her expertise in driving the body’s agenda for future growth.
On the other hand, Saraki was the special assistant to the President of Nigeria on Budget in 2000 where he was responsible for preparing the 2000/2001 National Budget, and equally initiated the Fiscal Responsibility Bill as well as served on the Economic Policy Co-ordination Committee, where he was responsible for the formulation and implementation of key economic policies for Nigeria.
With a vision to translate his experiences into progress and development for the people of Kwara State, Saraki was called upon by his people to contest for the position of executive governor of the state.
He was elected and sworn into office in 2003, and based on his performances and achievements, Saraki was re-elected in the 2007 general election for second term in office.
As governor, he garnered national and international acclaim for his innovative approaches to agriculture, health, education, fiscal policy and environmental reforms.
His spirit of team work endeared him to his colleagues where he was appointed as Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum. In that capacity, he championed a peer review mechanism among the governors of Nigerian states.
Saraki also used the platform to create a harmonious working relationship between the executive and the legislative arm of government at the national level, and was the first Nigerian governor to be awarded the National Honor of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON), among other achievements
The statement noted that the Parliamentary Roundtable will also feature parliamentarians from Commonwealth Countries in Africa, especially Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana.
In its 3rd year, the Commonwealth Africa Summit holding alongside the Commonwealth Day Observance Service, is a major event in our calendar, the statement indicated, adding that the 2016 Summit will convene Heads of Government, senior ministers, public sector leaders, the private sector, investors and senior executives in one place to discuss trade and investment, business opportunities, security and development – with special emphasis on Africa and will build on the inaugural programme held in March 2014 in London.
The CAS Summit was designed to provide a space for high level dialogue between Business and Government leaders from Commonwealth countries from Africa and their counterparts from other parts of the globe.
The summit will also provide a platform for Commonwealth nations from Africa to showcase investment opportunities to a wider business community while learning best practices on securing their homeland and borderlines.