Chief Fortune Charumbira, President of the Pan African Parliament (PAP), has compelled the committees of the continental body’s legislative body to prioritize the review of their work plans and ensure that activities aimed at accelerating the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) implementation take precedence.
He said today at a PAP-Bureaux meeting in Midrand, South Africa—where the PAP is headquartered—that the rapid implementation of the AfCFTA would result in socioeconomic change across Africa.
The purpose of today’s meeting, which Chief Charumbira presided over, was to plan the activities for the PAP committee sittings, which are scheduled to take place in Midrand from March 6 to March 19. This is an arranging meeting. Chief Charumbira stated, “We need to agree on the issues that will be discussed during the sittings of the committees of the PAP.”
The committee meetings will be held in accordance with the African Union’s 2023 theme, “The Year of AFCFTA: Implementation of the AFCFTA at a faster pace. The most pressing issue discussed at the most recent AU Summit was the sluggishness with which member states have carried out their pledges to make the AFCFTA a reality. As a result, the PAP played a crucial role in ensuring that Member States are held accountable for their commitments to AFCFTA implementation both collectively at the continental level and as PAP Members at the national level.
In addition, he emphasized the significance of looking back at the Committee’s work and accomplishments from the previous year in order to assess the rate of success in a year when the legislative continental body’s theme was “Strengthening Resilience in Nutrition and Food Security on the African Continent.” Paul’s committees were also supposed to pay attention to major issues in the African Union Assembly.
Concerns that the continent had been grossly underrepresented in both the permanent and non-permanent categories of the UN Security Council led to the need for the reform of the UN Security Council to give more voices to weak and smaller nations, particularly those in Africa. One of the issues is the need for this reform.
The call for a broad-based and participatory process to develop Africa’s common position on climate change, which will include governments, women, youth, the private sector, civil society, and academia, is another topic that is getting a lot of attention in Africa.
In order to keep the wheels of sustainable development turning in Africa, the pressing issue of illegal economic sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe, Eritrea, and Sudan by the US and EU ought to continue to dominate PAP’s discussions. The influx of private military fighters and private military companies, the unconstitutional removal of governments from office through coups, and the growing threat of terrorism on the continent all posed a threat to African development.
Chief Charumbira made the observation that PAP committees ought to lead the discussion of issues that directly affect the continent’s people, the majority of whom continue to survive on the backs of hunger, disease, and conflict.
“Given the variety of issues influencing the mainland that require the intercession of individuals’ chosen delegates, boards can’t stand to have a three day weekend during the panel sittings. From March 6 to March 17, committees must be hard at work every day, focusing on addressing the common issues affecting African citizens and advancing Agenda 2063, he said.
“The Bureau has invited Heads of Organs, Commissioners, and a variety of stakeholders to interact with the relevant committees and determine how they can collaborate in driving the Union’s objectives and the hopes, ideals, and aspirations of the African citizenry to ensure this link with the AU’s thrust.”
Source: herald.co.zw