Boutbig Calls for Stronger Parliamentary Oversight to Drive Africa’s Economic Transformation

PAP President Boutbig calls for stronger economic oversight and lasting development priorities, while exploring cooperation with the Africa Governance Centre.

ARUSHA, Tanzania — African parliaments must strengthen their ability to scrutinize economic decisions and safeguard development priorities across political transitions, H.E. Dr. Fateh Boutbig, President of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP), has urged.

Delivering the keynote address at the inaugural Strategic Legislative Governance Forum (SLGF) 2026, held on 7 October 2026 at the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) Headquarters in Arusha, President Boutbig called for legislatures equipped to assess complex economic choices and sustain effective development initiatives across successive governments.

His address followed discussions with the Africa Governance Centre (AGC) on potential cooperation in democratic governance, political dialogue and legislative institutional development, including support for his proposed centre for legislative excellence.

Together, the engagements placed parliamentary capacity at the centre of a wider question: how African legislatures can help turn economic ambitions into lasting improvements in citizens’ lives.

Parliamentary Decisions Must Look Beyond the Present

Addressing the Forum under the theme “Legislative Statecraft and Economic Transformation in Africa,” President Boutbig emphasized the long-term consequences of decisions taken by today’s lawmakers.

“The decisions we make today will shape the Africa of tomorrow,” he said.

Pointing to projections that Africa’s population could reach approximately 2.5 billion by 2050, he urged parliamentarians to consider how decisions on infrastructure, public debt, institutions and economic opportunity would affect future generations.

His address identified two connected challenges: improving legislatures’ capacity to assess economic policy and ensuring that development priorities can survive changes in political leadership.

The implications extend across parliamentary work. Laws determine the conditions under which businesses operate; budgets allocate resources among competing needs; and oversight helps establish whether public spending achieves its intended results.

AfCFTA Must Deliver Beyond Ratification

President Boutbig described the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as a historic opportunity to build a continental market supporting production, investment and trade.

However, he stressed that ratification must be followed by effective implementation. Citing intra-African trade at around 16 per cent of Africa’s total trade in 2022, he called for parliamentary action to address the practical barriers limiting access to African markets.

His priorities included simpler customs procedures, harmonized standards, infrastructure development and the removal of obstacles facing businesses seeking to trade across borders.

For legislatures, this means examining whether national laws, budget allocations and administrative practices support the commitments governments have made on continental integration.

The test of integration, he argued, should be the jobs, investment and tangible opportunities it creates for citizens.

Stronger Scrutiny of Debt, Projects and Investment

President Boutbig called on legislators to apply rigorous scrutiny to public borrowing, major projects, investor incentives and natural-resource laws.

Parliaments should assess whether projects are viable and strengthen productive capacity. They should also examine whether investment generates employment, transfers technology and develops local skills.

This approach places emphasis on the quality and lasting value of economic decisions. A major project’s contribution depends on its costs, financing, implementation and benefits, while an investment incentive should be assessed against the public value it is expected to deliver.

Effective parliamentary scrutiny can help expose weak assumptions, identify financing risks and establish clearer expectations for implementation and accountability.

Building the Institutions Behind Better Decisions

“Strong parliamentary decisions require strong parliamentary institutions,” President Boutbig said.

He highlighted the need for capable committees, qualified staff, independent research and analytical services, and access to specialised expertise.

These capabilities are particularly important when legislatures examine complex borrowing arrangements, investment proposals and economic reforms. Members need reliable evidence and analysis to question proposals, compare alternatives and monitor outcomes.

Strengthening parliamentary institutions therefore involves equipping lawmakers and committees to exercise their responsibilities with greater depth and consistency.

Sustaining Development Across Political Transitions

President Boutbig also warned against development repeatedly starting from zero after changes in government.

He said parliaments can help build consensus around long-term national priorities, oversee financing and implementation, evaluate results and preserve effective initiatives while correcting those that require improvement.

The challenge is to reconcile democratic political change with the time needed for major investments, reforms and institutions to mature.

Parliamentary debate, scrutiny and evaluation can support that balance by establishing shared objectives and providing an evidence-based basis for deciding which initiatives should continue, change or end.

PAP Explores Cooperation with Africa Governance Centre

In a related engagement, President Boutbig met Benedicta Lasi, Esq., Chair of the Executive Council of the Africa Governance Centre, to discuss opportunities for cooperation in democratic governance, peace and African solutions to African challenges.

The discussions explored how parliamentary experience, policy research and advocacy could contribute to stronger institutions and political dialogue across the continent.

Particular attention was given to the African Political Parties Initiative (APPI), an AGC flagship programme promoting dialogue, cooperation and knowledge exchange among political parties and democratic actors.

Such exchanges could provide opportunities to build understanding around governance challenges and development priorities that extend beyond individual electoral cycles.

AGC is an independent policy, advocacy and research think tank focused on strengthening African governance systems, including democratic governance, economic transformation, political cooperation, institutional development and regulatory strengthening.

A Continental Centre for Legislative Excellence

During the meeting, President Boutbig called for broad stakeholder participation in his vision to position PAP as a continental reference institution for legislative matters and a platform for coordination among African parliamentary institutions.

He outlined plans for a centre for legislative excellence, supported by cooperation with stakeholders such as AGC.

The proposed centre could support comparative legislative research, knowledge exchange and institutional learning, connecting parliamentary experience with policy analysis.

President Boutbig linked the vision to PAP’s mandate to promote coordination and harmonisation of policies, measures, programmes and activities among Africa’s Regional Economic Communities and parliamentary fora.

As a next step, he invited AGC to participate in the next session of the Pan-African Parliament. The discussions concerned potential cooperation; the releases did not announce a signed agreement or a formal launch of the proposed centre.

Connecting Parliamentary Capacity with Development Results

Organised by AGC, the inaugural Forum brought together Speakers of Parliament, Members of Parliament and other stakeholders to examine legislative action in economic transformation and the politics of long-term development.

President Boutbig thanked EALA for its hospitality and organisation, and participants for contributing their ideas and experience. He is leading a PAP delegation to the 153rd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Arusha.

His keynote address and the proposed AGC cooperation point towards a shared priority: giving African legislatures the expertise, institutional support and sustained dialogue needed to influence development more effectively.

The practical measure of progress will be stronger scrutiny of economic choices, better implementation of integration commitments and greater continuity in initiatives that deliver lasting public value.