By Staff Writer
Zambia’s Deputy Delegation leader to the Pan Africa Parliament (PAP) Miriam Chonya says it is important for African countries to share experiences and find common solutions to challenges facing them.
Speaking on the side-lines of the First Ordinary Session of this 6th Parliament of Pan African Parliament officially which opened on Monday in South Africa and runs until 11th November, 2022, Ms Chonya says Zambia has a lot to learn from PAP on what other countries are doing in enhancing parliamentary democracy.
“There are also a lot of workshops that are undertaken on various issues affecting Africa and how the people of Africa can complement their efforts in addressing the challenges akin to Africa. We learn a lot that we are able to take back home and share with our Parliaments.
“For example, women representation in Parliament is a key takeaway from these engagements because we play a major role in shaping society and contributing towards national development. We need to come up with affirmative actions that will compel member states to create more platforms and opportunities for women to participate,” Ms. Chonya said.
And Nyimba Member of Parliament Menyani Zulu, who is also part of the delegation, says Zambia has a lot to learn from other countries in various sectors of the economy such as agriculture.
Mr. Zulu says Africa has enough land that can be utilised for agricultural activities and produce enough food to feed its population without looking to other continents and that these valuable discussions and lessons learnt from these engagements must be taken seriously by African leaders.
The Zambian delegation to PAP in South Africa is led by Matero Member of Parliament Miles Sampa. Others in the entourage include Kalulushi Member of Parliament Kampamba Mulenga, Mwinilunga Member of Parliament Newton Samakayi, and Parliamentary Reforms and Desk Officer Obrey Katungu.
The Pan-African Parliament (PAP) is one of the organs of the African Union (AU) as set out by the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community (Abuja Treaty).
The Parliament is intended to be a platform for people from all African states to be involved in discussions and decision-making on the problems and challenges facing the continent.
