Pan African Parliament Approves $20.798 Million Budget For 2020, Condemns PRC’s disrespectful attitude towards parliamentarians

H. E. Hon. Roger Nkodo Dang, PAP President

The Pan African Parliament (PAP) on Wednesday adopted the “Report of the Committee on Monetary and Financial Affairs on the Pan African Parliament’s Proposed Budget for the Financial Year 2020”, presented by the Committee Chairman, Hon. Mike Temple (Eswatini).

According to the report which was unanimously adopted after a robust debate, the continental parliament’s total budget for 2020 is US$20,798,521 compared to the total approved budget for 2019 of US$18,510,115. The total operational budget for 2019 was US$11,749,132 while the proposed operational budget for 2020 is US$12,405,995 an increase of 6%.

A breakdown of the operational budget shows that staff cost is $10,146.630 while the Missions and Hospitality, made up of: mission of members of the Bureau; mission of parliamentarians; Mission of Staff of the Secretariat; and Hospitality is allocated $1,344,395 an increase of 7% over the 2019 approved budget.

Hon. Temple noted that the "missions are aimed at the ratification of the Revised PAP Protocol which is expected to reduce and most of the parliamentary work will be implemented through the budget lines under Programmes Budget".

Speaking on the Budget Framework, Hon. Temple stated that the budget is informed by the "African Union (AU) Agenda 2063 but more specifically, the Pan African Parliament’s Strategic Plan 2019 – 2022. The strategic objectives are the main focus and funding is directed towards achievement of:

   Strengthening parliamentary legislative functions of PAP.

·          Provide a platform to mainstream African voices and those in in the diaspora        into the AU policy making process.

·         Promote Human Rights, Democracy and Good Governance in Africa

·         Promote Peace and Stability

·         Promote integration and stability in Africa, and

·         Strengthen the institutional capacities of the PAP.

Hon. Temple expressed concern that this is the second year running that the AU’s budget has not been submitted to the Parliament for deliberation and then appealed to the African Union Commission (AUC) to submit to his Committee, the Union’s budget timeously to allow for its review and presentation to the plenary.

Concluding, Hon. Temple condemned the humiliation that PAP goes through in having to present its budget to the Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) which is made up of representatives of the member states to the AU. The ambassadors who constitute the PRC are mainly career civil servants without national legislative experience describing it as “belittling” He noted that although the Assembly of the Heads of State and Government had in 2017, decided that the Rules of Procedure for the PRC should be amended, the PRC was yet to implement the decision.

Parliamentarians who contributed to the debate, commended the Committee for a job well done and then added their voice in condemning a practice where ambassadors who had to prostrate before their various national assemblies to get confirmed, now turn around to treat them in a manner that is belittling.