The Clerk of the National Assembly of Zambia, Mrs Cecilia Mbewe who is the current Chairperson of SoCATT Africa hosted the Steering Committee Planning meeting for the SoCATT Africa Region from the 9th to 12th November, 2018 in Livingstone, Zambia.

The Society of Clerks- at-the-Table (SoCATT) Africa is an organ of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Africa Region. It operates within the constraints of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Africa Region Constitution and its founding Rules. Its affairs are managed by a Steering Committee which reports and accounts to the CPA Africa Region and the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of SoCATT.

The SoCATT exists to: 

1. Provide a means by which the parliamentary practices and experiences of various Legislative Chambers within the Commonwealth may be shared among the Clerks-at-the-Table, or those having similar duties, in any such Legislature in the exercise of their professional duties; and
2. Foster an environment of learning among officers of Parliaments with regard to Parliamentary operations. 

As Chairperson of the SoCATT Africa, Mrs Mbewe welcomed all members of the Steering Committee (SC) and support staff to the meeting.  This was the first meeting held by the Steering Committee under her leadership. The Steering Committee discussed the Strategic Plan (2015-2020) by noting progress made and charting the way forward for 2019. Subsequently, the meeting adopted the 2019 Action Plan arising from its Strategic Plan. It should be noted that SoCATT Africa’s focus is on seeing how best parliamentary administration can support parliamentarians’ in fulfilling their parliamentary mandate. The meeting therefore, resolved that SoCATT Africa will work towards capacitating parliamentarians to effectively fufill their oversight role over the Executive regarding issues of the National Development Plan, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the African Union’s (AU) Agenda 2063. In addition, the meeting agreed that SoCATT Africa will offer technical support to the CPA Africa by tracking the implementation of resolutions made at the meetings of the CPA Africa.

Mrs Mbewe, therefore, encouraged members of the Steering Committee to remain active by implementing the 2019 Action Plan of the CPA Africa. She called upon her members to continue working in unity in the spirit of ‘’one Africa, one people,’’ so that together, they can effectively support parliamentarians to achieve the best for Africa, as a continent under the auspices of visions Agenda 2063 and the SDGs.