The First Deputy Speaker of Parliament and Leader of the Delegation of Ghana’s Parliament to the Pan-African Parliament (PAP), Hon Joseph Osei-Owusu has said the continued Interference of military in Africa governance is seriously affecting progress of work to strengthen the Africa Union (AU) with legislative frameworks to boost the Continent governance system.

According to him, the continent takes a hundred foot steps backwards anytime there is a military overthrow of a democratically elected government.

Hon Osei-Owusu said this on Friday, July 28, when the Delegation briefed the Parliamentary Press Corps on the activities of PAP.

He cited the recent incident at Niger and noted that evethough the AU had issued a strong worded statement condemning the military takeover, the progress of work by the PAP is badly affected.

The press briefing was to enable the Delegation report to Ghanaians on the Second Ordinary Session of the PAP, which was held in Midrand, South Africa, from 15th May to 2nd June 2023.

This Second Session of the PAP’s Sixth Parliament was held under the African Union (AU) theme for 2023: “Accelerating the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).”

Other members of the Ghana’s Parliamentary Delegation to the PAP include Mr Frank Annoh-Dompreh, the Majority Chief Whip and New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Nsawam-Adoagyiri and Madam Ophelia Mensah Hayford, NPP MP for Mfantseman.

The rest are Mr Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Asawase and Mr Collins Dauda, NDC MP for Asutifi South.

Hon Osei-Owusu, is serving his second term as a Member of PAP.

He said the PAP was set-up by the African Union (AU) to ensure the participation of the people of Africa in the economic integration of the Continent.

The Leader of the Ghanaian Delegation to PAP said it was believed that through PAP, the representatives of the people of Africa would participate at a forum in which major decisions relating to the vision of the African Union would be taken.

Nevertheless, Mr Osei-Owusu reiterated that the PAP’s aim was to foster the development and economic integration of the African Continent.

He explained that the Organisation of African Union (predecessor of the AU), was rather more of a political Union, the AU was set-up largely to encourage and to promote the Continent’s economic integration.

He added that it was out of the vision of the AU that the AfCFTA was born, and that Ghana was lucky to host the Secretariat.

Ghana,the First Deputy Speaker said had ratified the PAP Protocol, also known as the Malabo Protocol, which intends to extend the powers of the PAP into a fully-fledged legislative organ.

He noted that it required a minimum of 28 countries ratifying the Protocol before implementation and that now only 15 African countries had done so.

The MP for Asawase and a member of the Ghana Delegation to PAP delegatiiMr Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, a Member of Ghana’s Parliamentary Delegation to PAP and Chairman of PAP Committee on Finance, said it was sad that since 2004, when the idea came for having a Continental Parliament, they had still not been able to get 28 countries to ratify the PAP Protocol to enable it to become a fully-edge Continental Parliament.

Hon Ophelia Mensah said the lack of resources and funding are seriously affecting the female caucus work at PAP and hope in the next session, the AU would commit more resources to its work.

Source: expressnewsghana.com

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