Tabling the report before deputies, Hon. Alhaji Mbowe, chairperson of Pan African Parliament and also member for Upper Saloum, said the session of the year’s theme was to accelerate the Implementation of African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) of the African Union for 2023.
Hon. Mbowe told deputies that African Parliaments from Botswana, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Madagascar and Saharawi Republic were sworn in and promised to be faithful to preserve the interest of the people of Africa as well as the objectives of the African Union.
Dilating on the issue of the Parliament’s budgetary constraints for effective committee operations, the Upper Saloum NAM explained that this was a major concern discussed by the President and therefore appealed to the Chairperson of the African Union, H.E. Azali Assoumani, and President of the Union of Comoros Island, to support PAP with sufficient budget to carry out its mandate effectively.
The president highlighted that committees are unable to carry out any spot checks around the continent due to limited funding as “these are needed to have first-hand information” and then report to the plenary for consideration.
The major elements of the report covered the parliament’s quasi-legislative, oversight and representative mandate, administration and the parliament’s relationship with organs and specialised offices of the African Union and partners.
