The
President of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP), H.E. Chief Fortune Z. Charumbira has encouraged the youth to be the
driving force behind the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade
Area (AfCFTA). He called on young people to tap into opportunities offered by
intra-African trade, and play a leading role in accelerating Africa’s
industrialisation and economic transformation.
H.E. Chief Charumbira was addressing
students gathered at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) on the occasion of the
2023 African Union (AU) Model Summit under the theme of the Year for 2023,
“Acceleration of the African Continental Free Trade Area Implementation.”
Convened
by the African Union Southern Africa Regional Office (AU-SARO), the AU Model
Summit is essentially a simulation exercise of the Assembly of Heads of State
and Government Proceedings. As a student-based activity, it involves students
being assigned to the African Union Member States in groups of five
representing different delegations of the 55 Member States.
The
objective of the Model Summit is to sensitise the citizenry, especially African
youth on the continental integration policies, programs, and what they mean to
the ordinary citizenry. The platform is further intended to familiarise participants
on the operations and procedures of the AU policy organs and their
decision-making processes.
H.E. Chief Charumbira said that young
people must make their voice heard to ensure that the implementation process of
the AfCFTA is responsive to their needs, as the future of the African
continent. The leader of Africa’s Parliament believes that harnessing the
potential of the landmark continental agreement will help the youth overcome
difficulties in accessing formal employment and decent jobs.
The
President of the continental parliament further pledged the PAP’s commitment to
ensuring that the youth fully play their role and reap the benefits of what he
described as one of the most important African projects to date.
“I
am pleased to say that the PAP can and should play an instrumental role in
driving 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. The PAP is indeed intended as a
platform for African citizens, especially the youth to make contributions to
decision-making on the problems and challenges facing the continent,” said H.E. Chief Charumbira.
Read
more: https://bit.ly/3H192Z2
No comments:
Post a Comment
Disclaimer: Comment expressed do not reflect the opinion of African Parliamentary News