Liberia

At the 146th IPU Assembly in Manama, Bahrain this week, the IPU welcomed back the Liberian Parliament to its global parliamentary community. With the return of Liberia, IPU Membership now stands at 179 National Parliaments worldwide, with all African countries

George Weah, Liberia The Liberian footballer-turned-president was named African, European and World player of the year in 1995, becoming the first and only African player to win the latter two awards while representing his country internationally. Weah began his career

“We have heard enough talk, it is time to step up efforts and take strong and bold action now!” With these words in the outcome document, young MPs at the Regional Conference of Young Parliamentarians of Africa declared their determination to increase the number of young people in parliament. IPU research shows that although young people under 30 make up approximately 70 per cent of the African population, they make up less than 1.5 per cent of all MPs. The Regional Conference, was co-organized by the IPU and the Parliament of Nigeria in Abuja, Nigeria, on 27 and 28 September 2017 and was attended by 200 participants from 15 countries.

For democracy to be effective, decision-making must be inclusive. Involving young people gives them a sense of ownership of public affairs and strengthens public policy. To galvanize action for youth political participation, the IPU and the Parliament of Nigeria convened the Regional Conference of Young Parliamentarians of Africa, the first of its kind, on 27 and 28 September in Abuja, Nigeria