MALABO – The African Union (AU) Executive Council has approved a special budget allocation of US$650,000 to the Pan African Parliament (PAP) following a session in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea last week.
Meeting at its 47th Extraordinary Session on July 10 and 11, the Council adopted a proposal from the Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) to release funds urgently needed to support the Parliament’s operations. The money will facilitate the Fifth Ordinary Session of the Sixth Parliament, which runs from July 21 to August 1 at the PAP headquarters in Midrand, South Africa.
The budget will also cover key responsibilities including participation in AU activities, bureau meetings, interpretation services, and rotational assignments.
Eswatini, which has representation in the PAP, is among the countries expected to benefit from the improved legislative activity enabled by the allocation.
The request for additional funds was led by PAP President Chief Fortune Zephania Charumbira, who has repeatedly warned that the Parliament’s work is being stalled by an outdated budget. The body has operated with severely limited resources since its budget was slashed in 2019 amid COVID-19 restrictions.
Although the PAP resumed full operations on June 29, 2022, its funding has remained at pandemic-era levels. This has disrupted core functions such as committee work, which drives legislative oversight across the continent.
While the new funding falls short of PAP’s overall needs, it provides a much-needed boost for the legislature to begin addressing its backlog of critical work.
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