Pan-African Parliament’s Second Ordinary Session kicks off with a resolve to promote free trade, end conflicts, and combat climate change

The Pan-African Parliament (PAP) has commenced its Second Ordinary Session of the Sixth Parliament with a focus on promoting free trade, ending conflicts, and combating climate change. The session will run from May 15 to June 2, 2023, under the African Union Theme of the Year, “The Year of AfCFTA: Accelerating the Implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area.”
President of the PAP, H.E. Hon. Chief Fortune Charumbira, welcomed the African Union Chairperson, H.E. Azali Assouami, and commended his presence as a measure of the chairperson’s high regard for the PAP in the continental governance matrix.
High-level guests, including South Africa’s Hon. Candith Mashego-Dlamini and representatives from other African countries, were also in attendance. The session saw the swearing-in of new members from Botswana, Cameroon, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Madagascar, and Somalia.

Discussions were centered around the PAP’s role in accelerating the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area and conflict resolution in Africa. Hon. Candith Mashego-Dlamini reiterated South Africa’s commitment to facilitating the work of the PAP and building a permanent precinct for the PAP in SA.