Three young Ghanaians have participated in a series of parliamentary engagements in Berlin under the International Parliamentary Scholarship (IPS) Africa 2026, gaining first-hand exposure to legislative processes at the German Bundestag.
The Ghanaian representatives, Jerry Dzidornu-Gomez, Saint Anthony Pappoe, and Miriam Kotey, joined participants from across Africa for the prestigious Internationales Parlaments‑Stipendium (IPS), designed to immerse young leaders in Germany’s parliamentary democracy.
Describing the experience, Jerry Dzidornu-Gomez characterized the programme as “informative, engaging, and transformative,” noting that the four-week fellowship offered young, politically engaged graduates the opportunity to study Germany’s parliamentary system while working directly with Members of the Bundestag.
During the programme, the Ghanaian fellows attended live Bundestag committee sittings, participated in seminars on parliamentary democracy, pluralistic society, and the culture of remembrance, and presented Ghana’s cultural heritage to peers from across the African continent. They also undertook internships within the offices of Members of Parliament, allowing them to apply their learning in practical legislative environments.
Saint Anthony Pappoe emphasized the programme’s impact on democratic engagement, highlighting how it strengthened his ability to deliberate constructively across differing viewpoints.
“You can have a common goal and work to achieve it with people who have different views than you do, and that is what true democracy is about,” he stated.
Since 2020, the German Bundestag has offered the IPS Africa programme under the patronage of the President of the Bundestag, targeting young graduates from Sub-Saharan Africa who seek to deepen their understanding of parliamentary governance and contribute meaningfully to democratic development in their home countries.
The compact four-week programme brings together up to 24 fellows from countries including Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda, offering participants first-hand insight into Germany’s political decision-making processes.
The participation of the three Ghanaian fellows highlights growing Ghana-Germany cooperation in governance, leadership development and democratic institution-building
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