Pan-African Parliament and South Africa’s Parliament Unite in Preparation for Historic G20 P20 Summit

In a landmark engagement held on the sidelines of the Fifth Ordinary Session of the Sixth Parliament of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP), the continental legislature convened a joint high-level meeting with the Parliament of South Africa in preparation for the 11th G20 Parliamentary Speakers’ Summit (P20), scheduled to take place from 1 to 3 October 2025 in Cape Town, South Africa.

The meeting, hosted at PAP’s precinct in Midrand, symbolized a shared African commitment to shape a united voice ahead of the first-ever P20 Summit to be hosted on African soil, a platform which brings together Speakers and Presiding Officers from G20 nations and invited parliamentary institutions.

A Platform for Inclusion: Youth and Women at the Forefront

Opening the meeting, PAP President H.E. Chief Fortune Charumbira emphasized the need for Africa’s youth and women to be central to the G20 parliamentary agenda. “We want young people to speak for themselves… and the same applies to women,” he declared. “As PAP, we want this to happen because we are direct representatives of the people.”

Chief Charumbira urged African national parliaments to seize the opportunity offered by South Africa’s G20 Chairmanship to mainstream youth and gender concerns in global development discourse, particularly within the P20 framework.

Co-chairing the engagement, Hon. Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane, Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces of South Africa, echoed this sentiment. In her address to PAP’s Women’s Caucus, she described the P20 as a transformative opportunity “to co-host the G20 Speakers’ Summit as a united front, pursuing an Africa-centered women’s agenda for total emancipation.” She called for a fundamental shift in how African societies understand and legislate gender roles, urging parliaments to challenge the legacy of “biological determinism” that underpins systemic gender inequality.

The Youth Agenda for the P20

Representing the aspirations of the continent’s youth, Hon. Andisiwe Kumbaca of the Parliament of South Africa delivered a stirring address on behalf of young parliamentarians. She framed Africa’s youthful population not as a challenge, but as a powerful demographic opportunity. “By 2050, Africa will have the largest working-age population globally,” she noted. “But this dividend is not automatic as it will only be realized if we, as leaders, plan for it, invest in it, and include youth intentionally.”

Hon. Kumbaca outlined key youth-focused priorities for the P20, including:

1. Youth Unemployment & Skills Development – Investing in green jobs, innovation, and technical education.
2. Education & Digital Access – Ensuring STEM education and digital literacy are accessible to all.
3. Youth Health & Wellbeing – Mainstreaming mental health and reproductive health in development agendas.
4. Entrepreneurship – Expanding access to capital, markets, and mentorship for youth-led enterprises.

She stressed the importance of using the P20 platform to turn frameworks like the AU’s Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals into real policy commitments backed by legislative action and financial investment.

From Frameworks to Implementation

Adding to the momentum, Hon. Dr. Annelie Lotriet offered reflections on the role of African Parliaments in advancing women’s status and gender equality. She highlighted that while instruments such as the Maputo Protocol and the AU Convention on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls exist, implementation remains inconsistent and often underfunded.

Dr. Lotriet identified four strategic focus areas:

1. Gender-Responsive Legislation: Including legal reforms to protect women’s labor rights and eliminate discriminatory statutes.
2. Economic Empowerment: Promoting land rights, boardroom quotas, and social protections.
3. Reproductive Rights: Guaranteeing access to health services and reproductive autonomy.
4. Oversight Mechanisms: Empowering women’s caucuses and gender committees to monitor gender budget allocations and compliance.

She underscored the need for strong data systems, inter-parliamentary learning, and deeper engagement with civil society to ensure that gender equality moves beyond rhetoric into actionable change.

A Continent Ready to Lead

The joint engagement between PAP and the South African Parliament served not only as a preparatory briefing but as a continental rallying call. With South Africa at the helm of the G20, African voices, particularly those of women and youth are being mobilized to take centre stage in global parliamentary diplomacy.

As the P20 Summit approaches, both institutions reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring that Africa does not merely participate, but leads, shapes, and transforms the global legislative discourse on inclusion, justice, and development.