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Develop Capacities of Hansard Officers

By Simon Avabey Agianab

The Commonwealth Hansard Editors Association – Africa Region (CHEA-AR), at its 11th Biennial Conference in Accra, has called on Parliaments and Legislatures to continuously develop the capacities of their Hansard officers and practitioners, especially in modern technologies to enhance parliamentary reporting in Africa.

Contained in its Communiqué, the Association urged countries, provinces, states, and houses to invest in technological infrastructure systems, training, and human resources for Hansard reporting. CHEA-AR further emphasized the need for Parliaments and Legislatures to collaborate in standardizing Hansard production and streamlining the training of Hansard officers.

The Association also highlighted the importance of adopting appropriate technological innovations, ensuring Hansard is accessible to the public, and improving turnaround times for producing parliamentary records.

By doing so, CHEA-AR believes Hansard offices can better support legislative functions, enhance accountability, and uphold transparency in governance.

Agianab, S. A. (2025, August 20). Develop capacities of Hansard officers. The Accra Times, Vol. 003, Issue 032, p. 05.

Ms Hortensiah Nyawira Kamau

Ms. Hortensiah Nyawira Kamau holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Mass Communication from the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication and a BA in Communication from Daystar University, Kenya. With over 20 years’ experience in the Kenyan legislature, she is currently a Principal Hansard Editor in the Senate, having previously served as Senior Hansard Editor, and earlier worked in public relations. She has attended courses in leadership, management, and Hansard production, including Parliamentary Practices and Procedures and the Parliamentary Internship Programme in India. Ms. Kamau also serves as a Trustee of the Parliamentary Service Commission Staff Retirement Benefits Scheme and is a member of its Annual Report Editorial Committee.

Ms Sibongile Khoza

Sibongile Khoza holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Translation from the University of South
Africa, as well as a Master’s degree in Translation from the University of the Witwatersrand.
She worked as an interpreter for the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa from 2006 to
November 2011. Since December 2011, she has served as Chief Editor of Hansard in the
Mpumalanga Legislature, while also contributing to terminology projects for the Department of
Sport, Arts and Culture. Sibongile is currently pursuing a PhD in Translation and Interpreting at
the University of the Witwatersrand.

Mr Adam Iddrisu

Adam Iddrisu, Esq. is Vice President of the Commonwealth Hansard Editors Association – Africa Region and President of the Official Reporters and Editors Society, Ghana (ORES–Ghana). He joined the Parliamentary Service of Ghana in 2002, earning a Verbatim Reporters Certificate from the Government Secretarial School, and progressed from Reporter II to his current role as Editor of Debates and Head of the Hansard Office.

He holds a First-Class Honours in Management Studies and an MBA from the University of Cape Coast, an LLB from the University of Ghana, a Higher National Diploma from Tamale Technical University, a Post-Graduate Certificate in Public Administration from GIMPA, a Professional Certificate in Law from the Ghana School of Law, and multiple specialised reporting certifications.

Mr Steve Katawa Banda

Mr Steve Katawa is the President of CHE-AR since 2022. He served as a Principal Editor of
Hansard for Parliament of Malawi, deputising the Chief Editor of Hansard/Head of Hansard
from 2017 to 2021. He is the Chief Editor of Hansard/ Head of Hansard for Parliament of
Malawi From 2021 to date.

Ms Euphraat Hopane

Ms Euphraat Hopane is the Secretary/Treasurer of the Commonwealth Hansard Editors Association – Africa Region since 2017 to date. She joined Parliament of the Republic of South Africa in November 2005 as a Language Practitioner in Hansard reporting. She rose through the ranks from Language Practitioner to Senior Language Practitioner, Control Language Practitioner, and now Unit Manager for Hansard reporting. Ms Hopane holds a BA and BA Hons from the University of Limpopo, Bphil (Hons) from Stellenbosch University, and a Master of Arts in Forensic Linguistics from Pennsylvania Western University. She is also a member of the International Association for Forensic and Legal Linguistics.Get notified about new articles