Pan-African Parliament: MPs from Cameroon, others sworn in as new members.

The lawmakers were sworn into the continental legislature organisation during a ceremony held Monday at the Pan-African Parliament headquarters, in Midrand, South Africa.

Prior to the swearing in ceremony, the close to 20 parliamentarians deployed by their national legislatures to represent African citizens in the Pan-African Parliament participated in an orientation session conducted by the Secretariat of the continental body.

The orientation ceremony came ahead of the opening ceremony for the sitting of Permanent Committees and other organs of the Continental Parliament.

The new members were later sworn in following elections in several African Union Member States and rotation within delegations. 

The Secretariat, led by Lindiwe Khumalo, Clerk of the Pan-African Parliament, briefed the parliamentarians on the history, mandate, and rules of the Pan-African Parliament. 

Members were also sensitised on their roles and what is expected of them as representatives of the peoples of Africa.

The sitting of the Permanent Committees and other organs of the Pan-African Parliament started September 13 and will run till September 20, 2024.

The sitting will convene under the African Union theme for 2024: “Educate an African Fit for the 21st Century: Building resilient education systems for increased access to inclusive, lifelong, quality, and relevant learning in Africa”.

The Pan-African Parliament was established in March 2004, by Article 17 of the Constitutive Act of the African Union, as one of the nine Organs provided for in the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community signed in Abuja, Nigeria, in 1991. 

The Protocol establishing the PAP was ratified by 49 Member States. The total number of Members of the PAP is 275. 

Article 4 of the Protocol establishing the PAP requires that each national Parliament be represented by five members, at least one of whom must be a woman. 

The representation of each member state must reflect the diversity of political opinions in each National Parliament or deliberative organ. 

According to Article5 of the same Protocol, the Pan African Parliamentarians are elected or designated by the national Parliaments of the Member States.

The establishment of the Pan-African Parliament is informed by a vision to provide a common platform for African peoples and their grass-roots organizations to be more involved in discussions and decision-making on the problems and challenges facing the continent.

The seat of the Parliament is in Midrand, South Africa. The Pan-African Parliamentarians represent all the peoples of Africa. 

The aim of the Pan-African Parliament is to evolve into an institution with full legislative powers, whose members are elected by universal adult suffrage.

The functions and powers of the PAP are defined in Article 11 of the Protocol to the Treaty establishing the African Economic Community Relating to the Pan-African Parliament. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post issue N0:3234 of Thursday September 19, 2024