The Pan-African Parliament (PAP) President, H.E Senator, Chief Fortune Charumbira has challenged the African Parliamentary Press Network (APPN) to “contribute towards the building of a “Visionary Strong African Parliament”.
He held a behind the closed doors meeting with the APPN at the currently underway PAP Ordinary Session of the Sixth Parliament held in Midrand, South Africa.
‘We need to work together for the betterment of our continental parliament despite all challenges we are facing,” said H.E Charumbira.
“The press plays a very critical role in building, uniting, and shaping our societies. Your contribution through meaningful engagements is vital for the growth of the PAP. I am an open person and appreciate the role of the media in our societies; I want you to reach out to me anytime as I am available for you. Media is our friend as the current PAP administration, you are our partners, do not shy away, let us be a winning team together through your constructive reporting and engagements.”
H.E Charumbira also added that he would appreciate seeing more stories about the PAP out there as he seeks to make African communities across the continent understand what the PAP is all about.
“A lot has happened, and people get to know about the PAP only whenever there are differences on various issues, but that is a thing of the past. We would appreciate it if you assisted us as the press in disseminating vital programmes that we are initiating now and then; there are unknown progressive things that PAP has achieved. We have had successful engagements with professionals, Lawyers, Speakers of National Parliaments, Civil Society leaders, and Students and we are seeking to engage every African. These engagements are helpful in building a better Africa, which is why I have dedicated this important time to interacting with the press as we continue building a strong and united parliament. Your role as the press in our quest to build this parliament cannot be ignored; you are playing a very critical part in our existence. While you playing your roles in reporting about your national parliaments across Africa, we challenge you to always talk about our PAP as well. Always reach out, we need people to know more about their continental parliament,” appealed H.E Charumbira also chronicling the history of the challenges that the PAP has encountered over the years.
Meanwhile, H.E Charumbira also disclosed that his administration is pursuing and focusing on working towards achieving AGENDA 2063 goals, which is Africa’s blueprint and master plan for transforming Africa into the global powerhouse of the future. AGENDA 2063 aims to deliver on its goal for inclusive and sustainable development and is a concrete manifestation of the pan-African drive for unity, self-determination, freedom, progress and collective prosperity pursued under Pan-Africanism and African Renaissance.
“Ours is not to create a separate programme for PAP, but we seek to continue with immediate prioritisation of inclusive social and economic development, continental and regional integration, democratic governance and peace and security amongst other issues aimed at repositioning Africa to becoming a dominant player in the global arena,” added H.E Charumbira.
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