The provision of support services by the legislative bureaucracy helps the realisation of the constitutional mandate of the National Assembly which includes Law making, Oversight and Representation. In order to achieve this mandate, directorates and departments were created along specialised service areas. The Directorate of Inter-Parliamentary Relations and Protocol is one of these directorates.

The Directorate of Inter-Parliamentary Relations and Protocol was established by the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) in July 2018 in a bid to restructure existing Departments to enhance effectiveness in service delivery. The Directorate plays an important role in fostering diplomatic relations, promoting international cooperation, capacity building, and enhancing the National Assembly’s global presence. It is pivotal to the robust engagement of the National Assembly with other parliaments and International Parliamentary organisations.

As a key component of the National Assembly bureaucratic framework, the Directorate is responsible for coordinating interactions with various parliamentary organisations, foreign parliaments and State Houses of Assembly. Essentially, it serves as the Secretariat to the National Assembly for the effective operations of its parliamentary diplomacy.