From Protocol to Practice: PAP Committee Vice-Chairperson Calls for Concrete Action on Women’s Rights in Africa

The Vice-Chairperson of the Committee on Transport, Industry, Communications, Energy, Science and Technology of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP), Hon. Amina Ali Idriss has voiced concern over the persistent gap between Africa’s lofty legal commitments to gender equality and the lived realities of African women. She made the observation in an address at the Continental Workshop on Women’s Socio-Economic Rights

Africa’s Rights Frameworks: Strong on Paper, Weak in Practice

Hon. Amina Ali Idriss began by acknowledging that Africa is not short of legal frameworks. Key instruments such as:

·       the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW),

·       the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights,

·       and the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (the Maputo Protocol).

all enshrine strong protections and aspirations for women. And yet, she lamented, the crux of the matter lies not in drafting treaties, but in implementing them.

“Africa’s commitments will only make sense if the Continent succeeds in transforming declarations into visible results in the daily lives of African women,” she argued. In her view, only when the benefits are tangible at grassroots level: when women can see changes in their communities, workplaces, political spaces, can the Continent build a just, inclusive society aligned with Agenda 2063.

Extractive Industries: A Lens on Exclusion and Inequality

Speaking within the framework of the workshop organized by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), Hon. Idriss spotlighted extractive industries - mining, oil, gas - as a critical arena in which gender inequalities remain stark.

She emphasized that women too often stand on the margins:

·       They are excluded from decision-making on resource management.

·       They rarely share equitably in the revenue from extractive operations.

·       They face discrimination, precarious employment, and exploitation when working in the sector.

·       They are seldom empowered as innovators or leaders in resource governance.

To counter these trends, she proposed a four-point agenda:

1.     Full and effective participation of women in decision-making bodies overseeing natural resources and mining;

2.     Equitable sharing of economic benefits from extractive industries, particularly for local women and communities;

3.     Protection of women workers’ rights in the extractive sector, targeting discrimination, job insecurity, and exploitation;

4.     Investment in training, research, and innovation so women are not just passive beneficiaries but active agents and leaders in Africa’s transformation.

Her remarks struck at a fundamental tension: commitments mean little if the architecture for accountability and implementation is weak.

Early Marriage, Adolescent Pregnancy and Structural Barriers

During the workshop’s plenary discussions, Hon. Chindaculema Sarfina Filipe Franco (from the PAP’s Committee on Cooperation, International Relations and Conflict Resolution) raised the crucial issue of early marriage and adolescent pregnancy. She pointed out how socio-cultural norms, poverty, and limited information drive many young girls into marriage and motherhood too early.

She warned that early pregnancy increases the risk of death for both mother and child, because the adolescent body is not prepared for safe childbirth. “Adolescents’ place is in school, not to start a family,” she admonished, underscoring the need for stronger enforcement of laws and policies that protect girls’ rights to education and reproductive health.

Why the Implementation Gap Persists

If legal instruments exist, why is the implementation so uneven across African countries? The root causes are multiple and interlocking:

·       Weak institutional capacity: Many countries lack the human, financial, and monitoring capacity to enforce gender-sensitive laws.

·       Lack of political will: Without sustained commitment from leaders, laws remain ideals on paper.

·       Poor coordination between national, regional, and continental levels: Fragmentation impedes consistency.

·       Limited access to justice: Many women lack awareness, resources, or access to courts to claim their rights.

·       Cultural and social norms that override legal norms: Traditional practices often trump formal law in communities.

·       Data deficits: Without good data disaggregated by gender, it’s hard to monitor progress or identify gaps.

These challenges mean that even well-designed legal frameworks fail to deliver impact in many African settings.

The Role of the PAP Committee in Advancing Implementation

Hon. Amina Ali Idriss’ position as Vice-Chairperson of PAP’s Committee on Transport, Industry, Communications, Energy, Science and Technology places her in a strategic spot to push for systemic change. The PAP’s permanent committees, including hers, are meant to help the Parliament oversee policy design and harmonization across the continent.

Yet the PAP is still, in many respects, an advisory and oversight body, rather than a full legislative assembly. Its influence depends on the effectiveness of its recommendations, the willingness of Member States to heed them, and strong partnerships with other African institutions and civil society.

In this regard, Hon. Idriss’ appeal is important: the PAP and its committees must not merely pass motions and resolutions, but follow up with concrete mechanisms for accountability, monitoring, and support to national implementation.

Toward Results: From Declarations to Impact

The workshop hosted by ACHPR aims to build awareness and address systemic obstacles to women’s socio-economic rights in Africa, including in the extractive sectors. It brings together stakeholders from AU Member States, national human rights institutions, civil society, judicial bodies, and the private sector.

Hon. Idriss’ remarks remind us that real change will require:

·       Rigorous follow-up on continental commitments, including through monitoring and accountability mechanisms;

·       National action plans that localize continental treaties, backed with budgets and implementation oversight;

·       Support to civil society and grassroots women’s organizations to demand and monitor compliance;

·       Stronger regional cooperation and peer pressure to close implementation gaps;

·       Investment in data systems, capacity building, and innovation to empower women as actors in resource economies.

Only when Africa can point to visible transformations: in girls staying in school, women leading in mining ministries, fair revenue distribution, safe workplaces will the continent’s gender rights framework be more than aspirational.

As Hon. Idriss aptly put it: “Reaffirming our commitments therefore means … ensuring the full and effective participation of women … investing in training … so that women are not only beneficiaries but also actors and leaders in Africa’s economic transformation.”