SYDNEY MUBAIWA
MiDRAND, SOUTH AFRICA-Pan African Parliament President Chief Fortune Charumbira has urged African parliaments to play their role in governance, peace, and development, because without active engagement they risk being sidelined by the executive and rendered irrelevant.
In his opening remarks at the 13th Annual Conference of Speakers of African National and Regional Parliaments in Midrand, South Africa, Chief Charumbira said parliaments are not institutions of convenience by parliamentarians but a permanent arm of the state ,focused on representing the people’s aspirations and safeguarding democracy in their respective countries.
“Parliaments are never reshuffled. You are a permanent arm of governance. The citizens of the continent have put parliaments and MPs in office, and there is no governance architecture in the world today where you can govern without a parliament,” he said.
He described parliament as the people’s last hope and an advocacy of change and sustainable development.
“Each of you represents the heart of democracy in your respective countries. But together we represent something even greater, the collective voice of the African people.
“In a world of global crisis and rapid change, from Climate to Conflict, from Migration to Innovation, we must ensure that Africa speaks with one voice and that voice is guided by the principles of democracy, peace, justice and development,” he said.
He said the AU governance system should advocate for citizen-led development ensuring that grassroots realities are dealt with and making sure that there is inclusive participation in policy making.
“The poor, the vulnerable, their last hope is in you. You are very critical,” he said.
Chief Charumbira said sometimes parliamentarians forget their key roles, warning that the development leads to instability.
He said Speakers in other countries play the role of the Presidents in times of their absence or crisis, underlining the institutional weight and constitutional relevance of parliaments.
He challenged legislators to move beyond passive observation and embrace parliamentary diplomacy as a tool for conflict management.
“Each time there is a coup, parliaments are the first to be dissolved. Should we keep quiet when we know we are also victims of conflict? Do we wait until we are dissolved by a military coup, or do we take the lead in preventing crises before they erupt,” he added.
The PAP President urged parliamentarians to proactively participate in promoting peace and security in countries like Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Niger, Mali, and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
“The war in DRC has been raging on for over thirty years with seemingly no solution in sight. The conflict in South Sudan continues to claim lives while Parliaments remain bystanders and leave everything to the Executive.
“Why are the people’s representatives standing on the sidelines while our people perish.
“Everything the Executive has tried to date has achieved minimal success. Parliaments have the potential to unlock doors and impasse that the Executive sometimes fails to unlock. Why then are we standing aside and doing nothing”, he said.
He placed the unemployment rate in African countries at the center of his appeal, noting that with over 66% of Africa’s population under 35, parliaments must prioritize oversight, legislation, and budgetary decisions that create jobs and economic opportunities for sustainable development.
He urged Speakers of Parliament to push for greater integration under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to expand African economies.
“As heads of representative institutions, you lend democratic legitimacy to the AU which can only be accrued when AU reflects the voices carried by national parliaments.
“Our citizens expect us to not only represent their voices, but also to safeguard their rights and interests,” he said.
He criticized the African continent for overreliance on imports from regions like war ravaged Ukraine despite its vast agricultural potential.
“Despite our peace, our climate, our soils, we still import grain from countries at war. Parliaments should be questioned about this. What are MPs doing to ensure Africa feeds itself,” he said.
Chief Charumbira’s address was both a reminder and a challenge: that African parliaments must rise beyond symbolic lawmaking to become engines of accountability, peace, economic transformation, and citizen participation.
Held under the theme theme:Transforming Parliaments for Citizen – Driven Continental Integration ,Sustainable Development, Prosperity ,Peace and Africa’s role on Global Stage ,this year’s conference comes at a critical time in the African continent’s transformation journey.
The conference was also held when the continent is deepening regional integration and strengthening resilience against external shocks and leveraging digital transformation and innovation ecosystems which include Artificial Intelligence (AI) with a main focus to fast-track economic development, diversification and service delivery.
Other key issues included advancing peace, security and democratic consolidation amid ongoing conflicts, terrorism, violent extremism and governance challenges.
Chief Charumbira also challenged the continent to quickly put in place strategies to respond to global issues such as climate change, food insecurity, pandemics, debt distress, unemployment rate and socio-economic challenges.
