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Ghana Parliamentarians, National Assembly on exchange of Experience Visit to NILDS

Ghana Parliamentarians,National Assembly on exchange of experience Visit to NILDS

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Ghana Parliamentarians, National Assembly on Exchange of Experience visit to NILDS

By MISS AKOR AKPAI
Delegates from the parliament of Ghana led by the Speaker of Ghanaian parliament and the National Assembly Commission has visited the National Institute of Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) for exchange of professional experience and mentorship.

the director – general National Institute for legislative and Democratic studies NILDS), Prof Abubakar O suliaman, during the visit made a Presentation to the Deligation from the parliament of ghana on Wednesday 14th December,2022 at River Niger street,maitama,Abuja.

delighted to welcome the Deligation from the office of the speaker of Ghana Parliament and Ghana parliamentary service board,who are on study visit to Nigeria from 11th to 15th December,2022, the director general commended the National Assembly service commission,NASC for being a good host for the visit and for considering NILDS as one of the strategic institution to be visited during this period. In his speech, professor Sulaiman Said he belief the Deligation will have a lot to learn from Nigeria considering the similarities in the antecedents of Nigeria and Ghana history spanning from the colonial period.to independence,to military interventions and now to stable democracies in both countries.

He also said he belief that this visit will enable NILDS to share it’s experience in the areas of capacity building, research and policy analysis,as well as consultancy and publication. He said at the end of the interaction, they would have identify areas of collaboration that will enhance parliamentary development and depending democracy in our respective country.

My presentation will therefore focuses on the establishment of NILDS, it’s core mandates, governance structures and deliverable in major thematic areas of legislative and Democratic development in Nigeria

ESTABLISHMENT OF NILDS AND GOVERNANCE

The National Institute for legislative and Democratic studies NILDS) is a foremost Nigeria Academic and research institute that supports the legislative and Democratic institutions In Nigeria and ECOWAS sub- region.The institute is an arm of the National Assembly established by an art of parliament in 2011

Prior to 2011,the institute operated as the policy Analysis and Research project (PARP). The PARP was established in 2003 with the financial support of the African capacity building foundation (ACBF). For over seven (7) years therefore, PART’s programmes helped to strengthen the capacities of legislators and legislative staff though training, research and analytical support for the National Assembly.

On January 26th 2018,the president of Nigeria,Muhammad Buhari,GCFR signed NILDS (Amendment) Art to change the status of the institute to National Institute for legislative and Democratic studies.
This amendment expanded the mandate of the institute to include provision of capacity building services, research and policy advice to other democratic institutions in Nigeria.

The institute has at the Apex of it’s administration,a governing council headed by the senate president as chairman and the speaker House of representative as Alternate chairman.The governing council is responsible for policy formulation and general directives on the institute development.

The management of the institute is headed by the Director – General who is the chief Executive and accounting officer of the institute.He is in charge of managing the Academic, Research and general affairs of the institute including the day to day running of the institute.The Director General is assisted by various Departments, Divisions and unis in the discharge of the mandate.There is also the Academic Advisory Board that assisted the DG in it’s Academic Research and policies.

CORE MANDATE OF NILDS
Since the Amendment of the institute Enabling Act in 2008 and upon assumption of duty of the current DG,the institute has continue to operationalize it’s expanded mandate in the follow critical legislative and Democratic areas.

1) providing responsive and qualitative legislative and Democratic capacity building to support the work of the legislative and depend democratic practice and culture in Nigeria

2) providing academic programmes on legislation and democracy

3) conducting research and publications on policy, democratic governance and legislative process.

4) conducting both domestic and international capacity building training enhance the performance of legislative and Democratic institutions

5) Designing,analyzing and everlasting national and international development policies, especially dealing with macro – economic,socio- political and cultural issues,

6) promote and disseminate the practice of science- based methodogies of law making and Democratic practice,

7) public policy Analyses and Evaluation,

8) monitoring elections,

9) legislative (Bill) Drafting, scrutiny, Tracking and Analyses,

10) monitoring and evaluating implementation of annual budget,

11) collaborate development partner, democratic institutions Civil society organization (CSOs)and Non Governmental organization (NGOs) in effective implementation of their development agendas in different aspects of social, economic, political ( including security)and cultural issues.

DEPARTMENTAL STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONS

The institute has nine (9) operational Department under the supervision of the DG.The department are:

a) legislative support services,

b) Economic development and social research,

c) Department of studies (handling post Graduate studies and higher national Diploma)

d) Democracy and Governance Department

e) training and international relations,

f) Administration and Human Resource,

g) finance and accounts,

h) Library Department,

i) Audit Department.

The institute also has a world class information and communication Technology centre that supports the discharge of the institute research training, consultancy and publications mandate.

The major function of the core department could be further broken into the following thematic areas:

a) legislative support services, which focuses on legislative drafting, drafting of motions and resolutions ,bill analysis and scrutiny, support for committee service and operation as well as provides issues/sector and data briefs.

b) The study Department runs the Academic programmes of the institute which include post Graduate programmes in collaboration with University of Benin.The post Graduate programmes include Master’s Degree in:

– legislative drafting

– parliamentary Administration

– legislative studies

– Election and party politics

– constitutional Law and constitutionalism

The institute also offer post Graduate Diploma in Election and party management and higher national Diploma (HND) in Official Reporting as well as HND in parliamentary Administration.The institute is also set to commence online diploma in legislative Drafting

C) In term of capacity building,the institute run short term regular and tailor made training programmes thought it department of Training and international co-operation department in the following areas:

– legislative practice and procedure,

– Effective committee management system

-Oversight tools and techniques

-Budget and the Appropriation process

– legislative Drafting

– constituency services, Outreach and Relations

– Legislative Research and policy analysis

– Official Reporting

– parliamentary management

– information and communication Technology

– communication and report Writing Technique

– managing Legislative – Executive and judiciary Relations etc etc

Most of there short term regular and tailor made training are run for both national and international institutions.

D)The institute, through its department of Economic and social Research also conduct science – based research on economic, social politics and cultural issues and provides policy briefs and analysis on topic issues within these areas of study.

E) There is a well stocked library that provides information and research materials for the research work and public of the institute in various areas of legislative and Democratic studies.

Conclusion: let me conclude my presentation by assuring the Deligation of our readiness to collaborate with the Ghana Parliament in any of the identified areas of interest in the above functions of the institute. Luckily the mandate of the institute also extend to the West Africa sub- regions and we have so far provided training for parliamentarians and staff from Liberian,Gambia,Uganda, among other.

It is my hope that this interaction will be an opportunity for the two countries to strengthen it’s ties in the areas of legislative and Democratic development. I therefore, wish you all save journey back to your destination and look forward to productive engagement with our organization in the nearest future.

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