They called for a national discourse towards an election of Ghana’s representation on the Community Parliament, instead of the current situation where Legislative members were selected by Parliament.

As the legislative branch of the AU, the PAP was meant to provide a vehicle through which African citizens can contribute towards deliberating and providing advice on how to deepen democratic governance and promote development on the continent.

Headquartered in South Africa, currently the Parliament has about 229 parliamentarians from more than 51 countries appointed from parliaments of various countries.But, at the closing session of a three-day workshop, the CSOs noted with concern that since its creation in 2004 as envisaged in Article 5 (I) (C) of the AU’s Constitutive Act, the voice of the PAP and its activities has not been felt.

The workshop held at Abesim, near Sunyani was organized by Action Aid Ghana (AAG), a non-governmental organisation and attended about 30 representatives selected from some different CSOs and Labour Unions in the Brong-Ahafo Region.

It was aimed at sensitizing the CSOs on the African Charter on Democratic, Elections and Governance (ACDEG) and African Governance Architecture (AGA) to empower them to go back and advocate their effective implementation in the local communities.

Whilst ACDEG aims at promoting democracy and reinforces the African democratic systems, AGA provides opportunities and avenues for citizens to engage a continental government which is the AU.

Mr Raphael Godlove Ahenu, the Chief Executive Officer of the Global Media Foundation (GLOMEF), said there is the need to elect Ghana’s representatives to the PAP to force them to be accountable to the citizenry.

He said though the PAP had its peculiar challenges the Community Parliament would be irrelevant if members could not make any significant contribution to consolidate the gains of African democratic system.Mr Matthew Abeaba Abereyiya, the Brong Ahafo Regional Industrial Relations Officer of the Teachers Educational Workers Unions of Ghana (TEWU), said the formation of the AU was laudable idea, but more ought to be done to deepen African security systems and enhance continental trade.

He called for intensified public education on the concept and activities of the AU to enable citizens to be well informed and contribute significantly to achieving the goals of the AU.Mr Frank Wilson Bodza, Programme Manager, Governance, Women in Law and Development in Africa (WiLDAF) and a facilitator at the workshop, noted that if citizens well understood the concept of AGA, they would be in the position to demand for accountability and help fight corruption which remains the bane of Africa’s development.

WiLDAF is a Pan African Non-Governmental Organisation dedicated to championing women's rights.He took the participants through the origin and objectives of the AU, and advised them to develop the interest and participate fully n its activities to advance the development of the continent.

Mrs Rosemond Kombat, the National Project Officer of the European Union PANAF project, observed that if the principles of AGA and ACDEG well adhered to, it would help minimize corruption on the continent.She explained AGA and ACDEG were provisions motivated by the Constitutive Act of the AU, which sets out international standards of good governance, democracy and elections.

They include issues of ensuring human and people's rights, consolidating democratic institutions and culture and ensuring good governance, the rule of law, free and fair elections, while condemning unconstitutional changes of government.