Bagbin Questions Africa’s True Independence, Cites Governance Failures and External Dependence

Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has questioned whether African countries have achieved genuine political and economic independence, citing continued reliance on external financial support and weaknesses in governance.

Speaking at the opening of the 2026 AFROPAC Conference and General Meeting at the Alisa Hotel in Accra, Mr Bagbin said that despite decades of independence, many African nations remain heavily dependent on foreign assistance.

He argued that the continent’s sovereignty is undermined when governments rely on external financing while their parliaments approve loans and credit facilities without adequately scrutinising the conditions attached.

“Even today, I’m not sure we are still independent,” Bagbin stated during his address. “People talk about political independence. They also talk about economic independence. Whether it’s political or economic, we haven’t gone a- either of them.”

The Speaker maintained that Africa must strengthen its capacity to mobilise domestic resources and manage its wealth to achieve meaningful independence.

He also criticised the continued dependence on debt relief, debt swaps and other external financial arrangements, questioning how countries can claim true sovereignty while relying on others for their economic survival.

“You are looking at somebody else, then you say you are a sovereign nation, and you want to be independent from the person that is feeding you. I don’t understand that chemistry,” he remarked.

Mr Bagbin attributed Africa’s development challenges not to a lack of natural resources, but to poor governance and greed among those entrusted with leadership.

He called for greater accountability, responsible leadership and effective management of national resources as essential steps towards achieving genuine independence.

“Why are we doing that? Because of the lack of good governance in our country, because of greed. Greed,” he concluded.

The 2026 AFROPAC Conference has brought together parliamentary leaders and officials to discuss ways of strengthening legislative oversight, financial accountability and democratic governance across Africa.