In his first address to the Executive Council of the African Union, the President of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) H.E. Chief Fortune Charumbira sent a clear message to African Ministers of Foreign Affairs: the PAP is back and entirely operational again, but it requires adequate resources to perform its functions effectively.
The President of the PAP told the Council that while the institution stands ready to fulfil its mandate of “ensuring effective participation of the peoples of Africa in the development and economic integration of the continent”, the current budget allocation will render the mission almost impossible.
“We acknowledge the challenges faced by the PAP and the criticism that it has not lived up to expectations. We also hear calls for the PAP to play a more prominent role in achieving the objectives of our Union. We now have new leadership in place that understands these challenges and is determined to steer African Parliament in a new direction. But it will be a mammoth task if we are not given the tools and resources to achieve our mandate,” warned H.E. Charumbira.
He added: “The PAP Bureau appreciates the efforts exerted in considering its proposed 2023 Budget, albeit, in the absence of the political leadership. The Bureau wishes to draw the attention of the distinguished policy organs to the serious challenges pertaining to the 2022 Operational Budget and the proposed 2023 Operational Budget, which, if not addressed, will adversely affect PAP’s effectiveness in fulfilling its mandate.”
The President of the PAP cited, among others, participation in African Union activities, statutory committee sittings, ordinary sessions, and parliamentary diplomacy missions, as some of the key areas where the budget was either reduced or simply cut in 2022 and 2023 budget allocations. While acknowledging the austerity measures to contain the impact of Covid-19, President Charumbira appealed, on behalf of his Bureau, for the 2022 and 2023 PAP budgets to be revised to match the pre-pandemic period to enable the PAP to carry out its work.
“For instance, the budget for statutory committee sittings has been reduced by almost half in the 2023 budget. Committees, as we all know, are the engine room of Parliament. In the absence of Committee work, even the Plenary cannot achieve any tangible outcomes. We urgently need to restore the PAP’s pride and place in the continental governance matrix and repair the institution’s battered image. These activities come at a cost. Now that the institution is back to full functionality, we require all the resources we can muster to make up for lost time.”
Specifically, the President of the PAP has requested additional resources to enable the Bureau to effectively carry out its mandate for the 2022 operational year; and a review of the 2023 draft Operational Budget to allow the PAP to effectively carry out its mandate for the 2023 operational year.
H.E Mrs Aissata Tall Sall, Chairperson of the Executive Council and Senegalese Minister of Foreign Affairs acknowledged the appeal by the President of PAP and indicated that the Council would consider the request in due course. She also reiterated the commitment to accompany the transformation of the PAP given its importance in achieving the integration of the continent and giving a voice to the peoples of Africa.
The Executive Council of the African Union coordinates and takes decisions on policies in areas of common interest to the Member States. It is answerable to the Assembly. It considers issues referred to it and monitors the implementation of policies formulated by the Assembly. The Executive Council is composed of foreign ministers or other ministers or authorities as are designated by the governments of Member States.
