On 3 July 2019, WFD hosted their annual reception in Parliament to celebrate their achievements over the last year, after holding a roundtable on youth representation in East Africa. The reception brought together over 120 guests including parliamentarians, civil servants and experts on democracy and international development. Among the guest speakers was Secretary of [...]
At what point does the cost to stand for election become so high it affects equality, trust and good governance? New data shows the cost of running for political office in Ghana went up by nearly 60% over one single electoral cycle (2012-2016). Opening the second phase of WFD’s flagship research into the cost of politics, [...]
By Anthony Smith, Chief Executive This year saw WFD turn 25 (we were established in 1992). As 2017 draws to a close, I would like to recall some of our best results and lessons learnt over the last 12 months. January: making politics affordable in developing countries We presented findings and recommendations from WFD research into [...]
This month we interview Tina Fahm, Commissioner at the Independent Aid Commission and recently appointed WFD Associate. Establishing effective and legitimate multi-party democracy, is not something one organisation can help achieve in isolation. That’s why we are building a community of associates who can contribute advice and support to our programmes. With a background as an auditor, Tina [...]
On 12 and 13 September, Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) launched a new strategy to strengthen democracy across a growing global network at a conference marking 25 years of WFD activity. The strategy commits the Foundation, sponsored by the UK Government, to expand the remit of its programmes – working across a wider range [...]
Sitting in the Library of the House of Commons it’s hard to imagine how legislators could lack good quality research to inform their legislative initiatives. Systems, researchers and the library in the Parliament of Ghana worked in isolation, leaving legislators and their offices confused about help on offer and diminishing the effectiveness of the institution. [...]
Democracy can help contrast corruption and enable fair distribution of resource by making information about government accounts available to the public. This is why we are working with the parliament of Mozambique to help them monitor spending. The country is developing very rapidly by tapping into a wealth of natural resources such as gas. Revenues [...]
Demographic data is essential for effective, responsive and evidence-based legislation. Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) is supporting the Senate of Kenya develop new ways to collect county-level information which will help legislators decide where to improve public services. Kenya, which will hold a general election on 8 August, is currently going through a process of [...]
Franklin DeVrieze, Senior Governance Advisor One of parliaments’ key roles is to make laws which meet the needs of a country’s citizens. Beyond the primary function of adopting legislation, parliaments should be able to evaluate whether legislation achieves its intended outcome. Earlier this year, Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) started working with parliaments across South-Eastern [...]
On 26 January 2017, Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the House of Councillors of the Moroccan Parliament during a conference on climate change legislation. The partnership agreement sets out a framework for cooperation between WFD and the House of Councillors of Morocco between 2017 and 2020. It outlines [...]