Parliamentary Power for Africa’s G20 Agenda

Building on the foundations laid in the opening plenaries of the Joint Workshop on South Africa’s G20 Presidency, the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) used the P20 Symposium platform not only to define Africa’s strategic priorities but to amplify the continent’s voice through a chorus of assertive, evidence-backed, and action-oriented parliamentary interventions.

From climate resilience and trade justice to ethical resource governance and youth-led agricultural transformation, PAP Members rose with one message: Africa must not ask for space in global governance, it must occupy it with clarity, ambition, and sovereignty.

I. Ethical Resource Governance: Ending Predatory Mining and Reclaiming Africa’s Wealth

Hon. Sakata Tawab Garry (DRC) set the tone with a forceful indictment of illicit mining, reminding participants that Africa’s mineral riches have too long been a source of conflict, displacement, and underdevelopment. “We must transform our minerals on African soil,” he declared, calling for model laws that enshrine local beneficiation, community participation, and parliamentary oversight.

Echoing this, Hon. Zandile Majozi (South Africa) denounced the limitations of voluntary global frameworks and championed binding legislation across the continent. “Let’s stop being spectators of our own exploitation,” she challenged, calling on African MPs to legislate and enforce a new mining order rooted in transparency, equity, and environmental justice.

II. Climate Justice and Adaptation: From Promises to Preparedness

A broad spectrum of lawmakers addressed Africa’s deepening climate vulnerabilities. Hon. John Bonds Bideri (Rwanda) captured the urgency succinctly: “Help always comes when the rain has subsided.” He called for investment in meteorological services, solar irrigation, and climate insurance, urging parliaments to align national policies with rural realities.

Hon. Sulayman Saho (Gambia) issued a call to end the reliance on donor promises and instead launch homegrown climate campaigns—from tree planting to environmental education. Hon. Fatoumatta Njai (Gambia) took this further by invoking the 2025 ICJ ruling that climate protection is a legal obligation, urging PAP to use this to demand reparative climate financing.

Other interventions from Hon. Fama Ba (Senegal), Hon. Amina Tidjani Yaya (Chad), Hon. Randa Mustafa (Egypt), and Hon. Meseret Haile (Ethiopia) stressed Africa’s right to climate leadership, not just survival. Their proposals emphasized community-based adaptation, renewable energy, local empowerment, and leveraging frameworks like the Nairobi Declaration and the Paris Agreement.

III. Trade Justice, Food Sovereignty, and Intra-African Integration

PAP members were unrelenting in their critique of global trade injustices. Hon. Mahamoud Moustapha Daher (Djibouti) and Hon. David Ngcamphalala (Eswatini) highlighted the inequity of subsidy regimes and tariff walls that block African exports while dumping imports on the continent. They urged parliaments to enforce reciprocity, boost value addition, and champion the AfCFTA as a platform for African-led transformation.

Hon. Margaret Kamar (Kenya) and Hon. Lamine Faye (Senegal) spotlighted the paradox of importing food while holding 60% of the world’s arable land. They demanded urgent investment in infrastructure, agricultural subsidies, and trade corridors that prioritize rural youth and women farmers.

Others, such as Hon. Bawab Yousri (Tunisia) and Hon. Zein El Abidine Ahmed (Mauritania), tackled deeper issues of seed sovereignty, colonial-era trade agreements, and the marginalization of African goods due to "global standards." They called for a Pan-African certification regime, the revival of traditional agricultural systems, and a new ethic of trade built on dignity, not dependency.

IV. Youth Empowerment, Industrialisation, and Agricultural Value Chains

A strong developmental theme emerged: Africa must process what it produces. Hon. Amina Ali Idriss (Chad) and Hon. Nsamba Oshabe Patrick (Uganda) decried the export of raw cocoa, coffee, and cotton only to import finished products at multiple times the cost. “Africa must stop exporting jobs,” they declared.

This message was amplified by Hon. Sibongile H. Mamba (Eswatini) and Hon. Sen. Kouadio Bertin (Côte d’Ivoire), who stressed vocational training, youth entrepreneurship, and women’s empowerment through agriculture. Hon. Esther Muthoni Passaris (Kenya) made an emotional appeal for policies that are felt “not just in parliament, but in Kibra and Soweto.”

V. Repositioning Africa in Global Governance

Hon. Ashebir Woldegiorgis Gayo (Ethiopia) called for the upgrade of the Pan-African Parliament’s status at global fora such as the P20 and COP, arguing that PAP must move “from observer to influencer.” Others, like Hon. Cheniti Awatef (Tunisia) and Hon. Prof. Randa Mustafa (Egypt), emphasized south-south partnerships, clean energy investment, and the need for Africa to speak as one.

VI. A Legislative Movement, Not a Moment

The interventions during the Joint Workshop and P20 Symposium did more than articulate challenges, they charted a roadmap for transformation. From model laws on climate and mining, to policy alignment on agriculture and trade, to demanding global accountability, the message from PAP Members was clear:

“Africa is ready to lead, not just with words, but with legislation, cooperation, and vision.”

As South Africa prepares to host the G20 Parliamentary Speakers' Summit in October, these voices from the PAP are set to become Africa’s strategic leverage. They are not echoes of old grievances but the declarations of a continent stepping into its rightful role as a global co-architect of sustainability, equity, and prosperity.