Im Rahmen des Aufenthalts fanden Gespräche mit Vertreterinnen und Vertretern verschiedener Institutionen statt, darunter das Office for Strategic Preparedness and Resilience (OSPRE), das Policy Innovation Centre (PIC), die deutsche Botschaft in Nigeria sowie die Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung. Zudem besuchte die Delegation die Nationalversammlung, wo Treffen mit zentralen parlamentarischen Akteuren stattfanden, darunter der Majority Leader des Repräsentantenhauses Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, der Sprecher des Repräsentantenhauses Hon. Akin Rotimi Jr. sowie der Clerk to the National Assembly, Barr. Kamoru Ogunlana. Weitere Gespräche fanden mit Vertreterinnen und Vertretern des National Assembly Library Trust Fund statt.

Anja Osei bei dem "Clerk of Parliament" Kamoru Ogunlana.

Ein Höhepunkt des Besuchs war eine von CoSPAL organisierte Roundtable-Diskussion am 26.02.2026, an der Vertreter parlamentarischer Forschungseinrichtungen, Think Tanks, zivilgesellschaftlicher Organisationen und internationaler Partner teilnahmen. In ihrem einführenden Vortrag stellte Prof. Osei aktuelle Forschung zu afrikanischen Parlamenten vor und betonte die Bedeutung einer stärkeren institutionellen Verankerung von Forschung, Daten und Wissensmanagement in legislativen Prozessen. Teilnehmer waren unter anderem: National Assembly Library Trust Fund, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), National Assembly Budget and Research Office (NABRO), Office for Strategic Preparedness and Resilience (OSPRE), Policy Innovation Center (PIC), Nextier, National Assembly Directorate, Legis360, ElectHER.

Anja Osei in der Roundtable-Diskussion über die aktuelle Forschung zu afrikanischen Parlamenten.

Die Diskussionen unterstrichen den wachsenden Bedarf an evidenzbasierter Politikgestaltung und führten zu breiter Unterstützung für die Initiative Africa Parliamentary Research & Knowledge Management Network (ARK-NET), die eine stärkere Zusammenarbeit zwischen parlamentarischen Forschungseinrichtungen, Universitäten und politischen Institutionen in Afrika fördern soll. Der Roundtable gilt als erster Schritt zum Aufbau eines kontinentalen Netzwerks zur Stärkung parlamentarischer Forschung, des Wissenstransfers und evidenzbasierter Gesetzgebung in afrikanischen Parlamenten.

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Anja Osei and Ekoutiamé Ahlin at the Conference of Speakers and Presidents of African Parliaments

In late February 2026, Prof. Dr. Anja Osei (Otto Suhr Institute for Political Science, Freie Universität Berlin) and Ekoutiamé Ahlin (Ph.D. candidate) attended the Conference of Speakers and Presidents of African Parliaments (CoSPAL) in Abuja, Nigeria. The aim of the visit was to explore opportunities for strengthening research on parliaments and legislative institutions in Africa and to deepen the exchange between academia, parliaments, and political institutions.

During the visit, discussions took place with representatives of various institutions, including the Office for Strategic Preparedness and Resilience (OSPRE), the Policy Innovation Centre (PIC), the German Embassy in Nigeria, and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. In addition, the delegation visited the National Assembly, where meetings were held with key parliamentary figures, including the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere; the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Akin Rotimi Jr.; and the Clerk to the National Assembly, Barr. Kamoru Ogunlana. Further discussions took place with representatives of the National Assembly Library Trust Fund.

A highlight of the visit was a roundtable discussion organized by CoSPAL on February 26, 2026, attended by representatives of parliamentary research institutions, think tanks, civil society organizations, and international partners. In her introductory presentation, Prof. Osei presented current research on African parliaments and emphasized the importance of stronger institutional integration of research, data, and knowledge management into legislative processes. Participants included: National Assembly Library Trust Fund, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), National Assembly Budget and Research Office (NABRO), Office for Strategic Preparedness and Resilience (OSPRE), Policy Innovation Center (PIC), Nextier, National Assembly Directorate, Legis360, and ElectHER.

The discussions underscored the growing need for evidence-based policymaking and led to broad support for the Africa Parliamentary Research & Knowledge Management Network (ARK-NET) initiative, which aims to promote stronger collaboration between parliamentary research institutions, universities, and political institutions in Africa. The roundtable is seen as a first step toward establishing a continental network to strengthen parliamentary research, knowledge transfer, and evidence-based legislation in African parliaments.