Fateh Boutbig Proposes PAP Focal Persons in Every National Parliament

PAP President Fateh Boutbig proposes PAP focal persons in every national parliament as ASGAP delegates discuss AI, AU treaties and parliamentary modernization.

African parliaments are being urged to strengthen their administrative links with the Pan-African Parliament as senior parliamentary officials gather to examine artificial intelligence, treaty implementation and the institutions needed to deliver Africa’s development ambitions.

Opening the seventh Annual Meeting of the Association of Secretaries General of African Parliaments (ASGAP) in Midrand, South Africa, on 29 September 2026, PAP President H.E. Dr. Fateh Boutbig proposed that every national parliament designate a focal person within its administration to coordinate engagement with the continental Parliament.

The proposal gives a practical focus to the two-day meeting: building a more reliable relationship between national legislatures and PAP while preparing parliamentary administrations for technological and institutional change.

Held at PAP’s headquarters, the meeting is taking place under the theme “Strengthening Parliamentary Action for Effective Implementation of African Union Treaties and Agenda 2063 Priorities.”

A permanent link between PAP and national parliaments

Boutbig identified parliamentary secretariats as essential to the continuity and effectiveness of democratic institutions.

“The cooperation between Parliaments is, therefore, only as strong as the institutional links that connect their Secretariats,” he said.

His proposed focal persons would facilitate information exchange, coordinate PAP activities and help national delegations participate effectively in the continental Parliament’s work.

Such a network could also provide a consistent administrative channel for following up on PAP recommendations, circulating committee documents and bringing continental priorities to the attention of national parliamentary leadership. Its effectiveness would depend on clearly defined responsibilities and regular communication with PAP’s Secretariat.

The proposal addresses a practical challenge in parliamentary cooperation: maintaining institutional relationships when members, presiding officers and political leadership change. An established contact within each administration could help preserve continuity beyond individual officeholders.

Keeping African Union treaties on parliamentary agendas

Boutbig also urged parliamentary administrations to keep the ratification, domestication and implementation of African Union treaties on their institutions’ agendas, drawing particular attention to the Malabo Protocol.

Adopted in June 2014, the Protocol relating to the Pan-African Parliament provides a framework for expanding PAP’s legislative role within the African Union. National parliamentary engagement is therefore central to the wider effort to strengthen the continental institution.

Treaty commitments require sustained follow-through. Ratification establishes a state’s consent to be bound; domestication, where required by its legal system, gives treaty obligations effect in national law; implementation involves the policies, funding and administrative action needed to fulfil them.

Parliamentary administrations support that process by helping organize legislative business, providing research and procedural advice, and ensuring that committees have the information needed to scrutinize government action.

Although they cannot substitute for political decisions, effective secretariats can help prevent continental commitments from disappearing from parliamentary attention.

Artificial intelligence enters the parliamentary workplace

One of the meeting’s principal discussions focuses on “Artificial Intelligence and the Organization of Parliamentary Work.”

Delegates will examine how AI could improve access to parliamentary information, support legislative drafting and research, and assist institutional decision-making. Experiences from African and other parliaments will inform discussions on ethical use, data governance, security and staff skills.

ASGAP President Mr. Najib El Khadi called for responsible and ethical adoption of the technology, placing institutional safeguards alongside its potential gains in efficiency.

For parliamentary administrations, possible applications include helping staff search extensive document collections and prepare initial summaries for review. Any approach would need to preserve the accuracy of official records, protect confidential information and maintain clear human responsibility for parliamentary work.

Ms. Lindiwe Khumalo, Clerk of the Pan-African Parliament and host of the meeting, reiterated its objectives: advancing the responsible use of artificial intelligence in parliamentary work, exchanging practical approaches to modernizing parliamentary administrations, and examining the evolving role of Secretaries General.

She also highlighted the role of parliaments in implementing AU treaties relevant to the Union’s 2026 theme on sustainable water availability and safe sanitation. The meeting, she noted, would also seek to strengthen inter-parliamentary cooperation and ASGAP’s institutional framework.

The discussion consequently extends beyond acquiring digital tools. It also concerns the professional judgment, training and leadership required to introduce them responsibly into institutions whose work depends on public trust.

Water and sanitation bring continental priorities closer to citizens

A second strand of the meeting connects parliamentary action to the AU’s 2026 theme: “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063.”

Participants will consider how legislation, budgets and oversight can advance water security and sanitation, alongside the ratification, domestication and implementation of relevant AU instruments.

This gives the discussions a direct connection to citizens’ lives. Reliable water and sanitation services affect public health, agriculture, industry and economic opportunity, while failures in service delivery place additional pressure on communities.

For legislators, the practical questions include whether national laws support effective water management, whether approved budgets reach their intended programmes and whether governments can account for service delivery.

Parliamentary secretariats help committees pursue these questions through research, documentation and support for oversight. Their administrative capacity can therefore influence how effectively broad continental priorities are translated into national parliamentary action.

The officials who keep parliaments functioning

El Khadi described Secretaries General as the institutional backbone of parliaments, preserving their memory and ensuring administrative continuity.

He stressed that AU treaties and Agenda 2063 priorities require institutions and procedures capable of turning commitments into results for citizens.

The Speaker of Azerbaijan’s National Assembly, the Milli Majlis, H.E. Ms. Sahiba Gafarova, also addressed the opening ceremony. She emphasized that parliamentary administrations sustain daily operations and preserve institutional continuity as legislatures and their leadership change.

These interventions highlighted the importance of the officials responsible for maintaining parliamentary records, supporting committees and ensuring that legislative business proceeds through established procedures.

Under the sub-theme “The Role of the Secretary General in the 21st Century in Africa,” delegates will examine the leadership and skills required to guide parliamentary administrations through digital transformation and institutional change.

The discussion will address ethical leadership, professionalism, institutional independence and resilience.

The programme also includes ASGAP Executive Committee business and consideration of proposed amendments to the Association’s statutes. El Khadi identified the amendments as an opportunity to strengthen its governance.

What happens after the meeting?

Plenary sessions, a general debate and presentations by resource persons will allow participating parliaments to exchange practical experiences.

The meeting’s conclusions are expected to be consolidated in a final report and communiqué to guide continued cooperation and the modernization of African parliamentary secretariats.

Boutbig said those conclusions would be brought to the attention of PAP’s Bureau and the African Union leadership. He also reaffirmed the Seventh Bureau’s commitment to stronger partnerships with national and regional parliaments.

The meeting’s practical significance will lie in the follow-up: whether the proposed focal-person network takes shape, whether treaty commitments receive sustained parliamentary attention, and whether digital modernization strengthens the capacity of legislatures to serve African citizens.