Dr Christopher Kalila Endorsed as Africa’s Candidate for Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Top Position

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Africa Region (CPA-AR) on Saturday 5th October, 2024, voted unanimously to endorse and support the candidature of Dr Christopher Kalila, Zambian Parliamentarian, for the highest elective office of Chairperson of the Executive Committee of the CPA.

Hon. Dr. Kalila was endorsed during the Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the 53rd CPA-AR Conference held in Arusha, Tanzania, from 29th September to 6th October, 2024. The final vote will be taken in November, 2024 in Sydney, Australia, during the 67th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC). The other candidates for the position are the Speaker of the Barbados Parliament, Hon. Arthur Holder, and Dr. Zainab Gimba, MP, from Nigeria.

Zambia’s Delegation to the Conference was led by the First Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Hon. Malungo Chisangano, MP.

The Conference, which was held under the theme: “African Parliaments at the Forefront of Addressing Existential Global Challenges: Food Security, Climate Change and Youth Employment”, was officially opened by His Excellency Dr Philip Isdor Mpango, Vice-President of the United Republic of Tanzania.

In his opening remarks, His Excellency Dr Mpango stated that climate change was threatening food security in Africa, and urged Parliamentarians to advocate for enhanced public investment in agriculture and support sectors, especially for increased budgetary resources for supply and access to farming inputs, infrastructure and services.

Delegates to the Conference also affirmed that climate change continued to adversely impact the African continent, with many countries already experiencing severe and long-term droughts, crop failure and famine. In this vein, Parliamentarians were reminded that they were duty-bound to ensure that member Governments and other stakeholders addressed the climate crisis through implementation of robust mitigation and adaptation measures, including adoption of green technologies.

In the same vein, the Parliamentarians agreed that the global challenges of food insecurity, climate crisis and youth unemployment required a multi-faceted approach involving government agencies, the private sector, civil society organisations (CSOs) and local communities.

During one of the Conference workshops under the topic, “Beyond Numbers; Re-Examining the Contribution of Women in Parliaments”, Parliamentarians noted that female representation at parliamentary level and key decision-making positions remained low for most African countries.

However, the parliamentarians recognised that the call should not only be about increasing the numbers but rather building a critical mass of women who can influence politics for the good of those they represent. A call was, therefore, made for African Parliaments to adopt legislative measures, including gender quotas, to ensure a minimum percentage of women candidates in elections. The Parliament of Rwanda was commended for maintaining its top position of having the highest representation of women in Parliament, not only in Africa but globally.

The Conference also emphasised the need for African countries to reform their education policies to align with labour market needs, focusing not only on academic excellence but also on practical and digital skill acquisition. Parliamentarians were implored to lobby their respective Governments to increase funding for education programs that focus on entrepreneurship and innovation as pathways to self-employment and avail the youths with necessary capital to run their own businesses.

The CPA Africa Region is one of the nine regions of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and it comprises sixty three (63) National and Sub-National Branches, committed to the ideals of the African Union and the Commonwealth.