Russia- Ukraine conflict should have ‘ awoken Africa’
Enhance intra- Africa trade
The fragility and vulnerability of Africa to global shocks is exacerbated by diminished trade between and among African countries, President of the Pan African Parliament ( PAP) has warned.
Officially opening the second Session of the 6th Parliament, Chief Fortune Charumbira indicated that the Russia- Ukraine conflict “should have awoken us” to the worrying reality of “over- reliance on Europe” and the need to “enhance trade between and amongst ourselves”.
Charumbira said that the African Union’s timely efforts to accelerate the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area ( AfCFTA) presents an opportunity for the continent to refocus on women and youth empowerment initiatives. He observed that Africa has the world youngest population, with over 400 million young people aged 15 to 35 years and over 52 percent of the continent’s population are women.
Officially opening the second Session of the 6th Parliament, Charumbira said to galvanise Africa’s accelerated economic growth agenda, women and the youth must be a prime anchor of the AfCFTA.
In that regard, “we must include women and the youth in all facets of the AFCFTA implementation. Our operative mantra as it relates to women and the youth must always be “Nothing For Us Without Us.”
Charumbira indicated that the envisaged single continental market is expected to increase intraAfrican trade by 52.3 per cent.
“The World Bank estimates that the AfCFTA will increase Africa’s income by U$ 450 billion by 2035 and increase intra- African exports by more than 81 percent.
“Africa, thus, has a unique opportunity to lift millions of people out of poverty by empowering women and youth to change the continent’s business environment,” he said.
Furthermore, he indicated that women and youth should be deliberately included in policy and decision- making platforms, integrating their needs into trade policies, enhancing their participation in cross- border trade by addressing the excessively high trade costs and steep tariff barriers in many countries that limit the potential of women and youth in the business sector and, ultimately, stifle economic growth and the continent’s development.
Charumbira explained that the Pan African Parliament can and should play an instrumental role in driving women and youth inclusion and participation in continental policies and programmes in general and in the implementation of the AFCFTA in particular.
“One of the primary objectives of the PAP as enunciated in Rule 4 of the PAP Rules of Procedure is to facilitate the effective implementation of the policies and objectives of the African Union,” he said.
He pointed out that by virtue of their membership in National Parliaments of Member States, Members of the Pan African Parliament are traditionally positioned to articulate strategically important economic priorities that reflect current socio- economic realities in respective countries and foster women and youth inclusion as a catalyst for economic growth and poverty reduction.
Charumbira told the African legislators that PAP Parliamentarians can develop stronger frameworks for enhancing the implementation and impact of AFCTFA by identifying mechanisms to ensure that the development principles envisaged in the development blueprint are gender sensitive, youth- centred, inclusive and inculcated in their respective National Development Plans.
He added that the focus of this plenary session will be on the AFCFTA and how the PAP can effectively contribute to the implementation of AFCFTA.