Story by Wellington Makonese
REGIONAL parliamentary cooperation is gaining momentum as lawmakers from Zimbabwe and Namibia exchange insights on enhancing budget oversight to promote transparency and good governance across Africa.
This spirit of solidarity was highlighted when Namibia’s newly formed Standing Committee on Budget and Finance engaged with their Zimbabwean counterparts, an important move towards fostering closer collaboration among Southern African parliaments.
“Our committee is newly established. After our last visit to Zimbabwe, we transformed from a select committee of five to a standing committee of nine. We are here to learn best practices on accountability, how appropriation bills can be managed, and how everyone drawing from government coffers must account,” Chairperson, Standing Committee on Budget and Finance, Namibia National Assembly, Honourable Helaria Mukapuli said.
The visit underscored how cooperation within the region is shaping stronger institutions, with finance committees evolving into key guardians of public resources.
“They have modelled their committee from ours, and they have come to learn. This is one way to foster collaboration amongst us. We convene in SADC forums and in the Pan-African Parliament. Regional cooperation is key because it allows us to confront shared challenges and advance solutions as a bloc,” Chairperson Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Budget, Finance and Investment Promotion, Honourable Energy Mutodi said.
Beyond the technicalities of budgets and bills, the engagement carried a broader message: that African parliaments, by standing together, can amplify accountability and ensure national wealth translates into development.
