Ambassador Bembe’s Keynote Offers A Blueprint for Elevating the Pan African Parliament

Addressing the formal opening of the Fifth Ordinary Session of the Sixth Pan‑African Parliament (PAP), H.E. Prof. Miguel César Domingos Bembe, Angola’s Permanent Representative to the African Union and Chairperson of the AU Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC), delivered a stirring keynote address, reaffirming PAP’s critical role in continental governance and calling for urgent institutional reforms to unlock its full potential.

PAP’s Pivotal Role in Africa’s Future

Speaking on behalf of the PRC, Ambassador Bembe hailed the Pan-African Parliament as one of the AU’s “most remarkable institutional achievements,” describing it as a unique platform where the voice of African citizens and the diaspora finds expression beyond state-centric diplomacy.

Though still limited to a consultative mandate, he emphasized that PAP’s influence lies in its ability to:

1. Provide an inclusive forum for all Africans, including the diaspora;
2. Drive institutional and public debate on reparations and other citizen-centred concerns;
3. Generate proposals for submission to AU leadership;
4. Strengthen ties with racial justice movements globally;
5. Monitor the fulfilment of continental commitments.

In light of the AU’s 2025 Theme, “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent through Reparations,” Ambassador Bembe urged PAP to lead the push for a justice agenda that extends beyond financial redress to include institutional, cultural, and legal measures to restore dignity and opportunity to Africa’s historically wronged populations.

Persistent Institutional Constraints

Ambassador Bembe was candid in his diagnosis of the systemic barriers constraining PAP’s effectiveness. Among the enduring challenges he identified are:

• Chronic underfunding and donor dependence;
• Absence of binding legislative authority;
• Recurrent internal conflicts undermining institutional credibility;
• Policy fragmentation across AU member states;
• Delayed or resisted institutional reforms;
• Weak accountability and monitoring mechanisms.

“These constraints do not diminish PAP’s value,” he affirmed, “but they compel us to mobilize for a deeper renewal of political will and civic engagement.”

Eleven Strategic Recommendations to Strengthen PAP

To meet these challenges and elevate PAP’s status as a true driver of African integration and governance, Ambassador Bembe laid out eleven concrete recommendations:

1. Uphold mutual respect and AU principles including peace, unity, sovereignty, and cooperation;
2. Accelerate ratification of the Malabo Protocol to grant PAP full legislative powers;
3. Coordinate with national and regional parliaments to harmonize policies and laws;
4. Respect the AU decision to hold PAP Bureau elections in February 2026;
5. Finalize alignment of PAP’s Rules of Procedure with the Protocol, including the principle of rotation;
6. Restore parliamentarians’ allowances through harmonization of AU benefits;
7. Continue to draft model laws in coordination with AU Technical Committees;
8. Invest in capacity building for MPs and staff in law, governance, and diplomacy;
9. Institutionalize accountability mechanisms, including independent audits;
10. Establish structured civil society engagement, especially with youth;
11. Implement outcomes of the PAP–PSC Joint Meeting to promote peace, security, and shared governance across AU organs.

He further called for increased legislative coordination to harmonize national laws with continental priorities, enhance implementation of AU policies, and ensure genuine citizen representation at supranational level.

Angola’s Commitment to PAP and the African Integration Agenda

As Chair-in-Office of the African Union for 2025–2026, Angola—under the leadership of President João Lourenço—pledged to support PAP’s operational and political evolution. Ambassador Bembe declared Angola’s readiness to assist in restoring PAP’s pre-COVID budget levels and advocate for its transformation into a legislative authority of the Union.

He closed by emphasizing the urgency of the moment:

“The dignity of our peoples demands determined, courageous, and transformative action… Historical justice can no longer be postponed. The time for reparation is now.”

A Renewed Pact Between Parliament and the People

Ambassador Bembe’s remarks served as both a commendation and a challenge. While recognizing PAP’s symbolic and practical contributions to African unity, he made clear that without legislative authority, financial independence, and citizen accountability, the institution risks falling short of its mandate. His eleven recommendations offer a blueprint for reform, while his call to moral and political conscience resonates with the larger 2025 reparations theme.

As PAP’s Fifth Ordinary Session unfolds, the onus now lies with African parliamentarians to match this vision with action, and to move decisively from promise to performance.