Story by Patience Nyagato
CHIEF Fortune Charumbira, president of the Pan‑African Parliament (PAP), has urged African legislators to deepen unity and work collaboratively to address the continent’s most pressing challenges.
His appeal came during the official opening of the National Assembly of Benin in Porto Novo this Thursday. In his address, Chief Charumbira identified key areas demanding urgent parliamentary action.
“Our people still face the looming threat of food insecurity and malnutrition, the resurgence of unconstitutional changes of government, the expanding threat of terrorism and violent extremism across the continent, the growing refugee crisis, displacement of our citizens and statelessness arising from conflicts,” he said.
“Energy insecurity which has resulted in skyrocketing prices of fuel and economic instability. The aftershocks of the COVID-19 pandemic have exacerbated poverty, unemployment and youth unrest. Illicit financial flows are bleeding the continent of its much-needed financial resources. Disparate and inconsistent legislative frameworks which are a hindrance to the common African market. The double scourge of drug abuse and human trafficking which is decimating the demographic dividend that we should accrue from the youth. The legacy of a colonial education system which does not foster entrepreneurship and innovation and undermines African cultural values, restrictions on the movement of people and goods between African countries which impinge intra-Africa trade and the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area.”
Chief Charumbira lamented the recent surge in conflicts, questioning the efficacy of existing intervention mechanisms.
“You will agree with me that there has been an unprecedented escalation in conflicts on the continent over the past decade or so, despite the African Union’s avowed commitment to “silence the guns by 2030”. The rise of coups and coups within coups in West Africa as well as the escalating conflicts in Sudan and the DRC point to the failure of all the intervention measures attempted to date by both the African Union and other stakeholders.
“The conflict in Eastern DRC has left over 1 million people seeking refuge abroad and more than 21 million in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. Similarly, in Sudan, over 15 000 people have been killed, and 8.2 million have been displaced, triggering the worst refugee crisis in the world today. These tragic realities force us to ask critical questions, Why has Africa failed to effectively address these conflicts? Why have the AU’s conflict resolution initiatives, such as the “Silencing the Guns by 2030” roadmap struggled to yield tangible results? What role should the Parliaments play in advancing peace and stability?” Chief Charumbira asked.
The PAP president underscored the need for the first session of the National Assembly of Benin to play its part in driving the attainment of the continental developmental blueprint, Agenda 2063 which outlines the vision for transforming the continent into a global powerhouse.
