The development marks a significant milestone, as it represents Ghana’s maiden inclusion on the high-level Committee, reflecting the country’s increasing prominence in global parliamentary engagement on trade and development. 

Mr Alexander Roosevelt Hotordze, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Trade, Industry and Tourism and Member of Parliament for Central Tongu who announced this said he, together with the Ranking Member on same committee, Mr Michael Okyere Baafi, will serve on behalf of Ghana. 

He indicated that the achievement followed Ghana’s constructive participation at the recent Parliamentary Conference, complemented by sustained diplomatic engagements and advocacy efforts. 

A formal communication is expected to be submitted to Mr Alban Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament to officially inform the House of Ghana’s new role. 

The Steering Committee serves as the principal body responsible for guiding the organisation and strategic direction of the Parliamentary Conference. Its composition includes representatives from parliaments of sovereign states, as well as key institutional partners such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the European Parliament, alongside selected regional and international parliamentary assemblies, and the WTO Secretariat. 

Current membership spans a diverse group of countries, including Angola, Argentina, Bahrain, Botswana, Chile, China, Côte d’Ivoire, Cyprus, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Nigeria, Poland, Senegal, and South Africa. 

The rest are Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates and Uruguay, in addition to organisations such as the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. 

The Committee is mandated to prepare draft outcomes of the Parliamentary Conference, with the support of designated rapporteurs, and to ensure their timely circulation to participants ahead of deliberations. 

Mr Hotordze described Ghana’s inclusion as a strategic opportunity to contribute meaningfully to shaping inclusive, rules-based global trade policies, while advancing the interests and perspectives of developing economies within the multilateral trading system.