The African Union Executive Council has approved a special budget allocation of US$650,000 to the Pan African Parliament, paving the way for the successful convening of the Fifth Ordinary Session of the Sixth Parliament of the Pan African Parliament, among other critical operations.
At its Forty Seventh Extraordinary Session held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, on 10th and 11th July 2025, the Executive Council endorsed the proposal by the Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) to allocate a special budget of US$650 000 to the continental legislature to cover urgent operational requirements including, the 5th Ordinary Session scheduled for 21st July to 1st August in Midrand, South Africa, participation by the PAP in AU activities, Bureau Meetings and Rotational duties and interpretation costs, among others.
The approval of the Special Budget Allocation follows concerted lobbying efforts by the Bureau of the Pan African Parliament led by its President, H.E. Chief Fortune Zephania Charumbira. In the lobbying engagements, H.E. Chief Fortune Charumbira underscored that the operational effectiveness of the Pan African Parliament continues to be hamstrung by inadequate resources as a result of the continued allocation of a COVID-era budget to the Parliament.
The budget of PAP was significantly reduced in 2019 during the COVID 19 pandemic to less than a third of requirements on the basis that the Parliament would only be convening virtual meetings due to the restrictions imposed on physical meetings by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The PAP returned to full operational functionality on June 29th 2022, but the annual budget allocation has not been adjusted to reflect this reality and has essentially remained a “lockdown budget.” This has paralysed the operations of the Parliament, including the functionality of oversight Committees which are the engine room of Parliamentary functions.
The Special Budget Allocation albeit inadequate to cover the PAP’s requirements, is a welcome development which will go a long way towards assuaging the operational paralysis occasioned by the paucity of resources.
