By Durell Namasani
Commonly known as Kamatcheni, The First Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Malawi Hon. Madalitso Kazombo is back from Nigeria where he went to attend the First Conference of Speakers and Heads of African Parliaments (CoSAP) . Kazombo described the conference as a conducive platform to make collective parliamentary solutions to the challenges Parliaments and African countries are facing due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The conference took place on Tuesday in the city of Abuja, Nigeria and was held under the theme “Enhancing Africa’s Post-Covid Recovery Through Parliamentary Leadership”.
The conference brought together Speakers and Heads of African Parliaments from over 16 countries including South Africa, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Ghana, Senegal and the host Nigeria.
Among topics discussed included Africa’s Public Financial Management in the Covid-19 Era: Challenges, Opportunities and Way Forward; Africa’s Debt Trap: Implication, Imperative and Impact in the Covid-19 Era; and Investing in Human Capital Development: Legislative Priorities in the Covid-19 Era.
CoSAP aims at facilitating increased deliberation, collaboration and coordination between Speakers, heads of Parliament and national Assemblies across Africa to address our common challenges, devise joint solutions, and collective action.’
On the sidelines of the conference, the Deputy Speaker has held a number of bilateral meetings including with Sir. Ibrahim Boughali, President of the National Assembly of Algeria.
The two discussed ways of enhancing relations between the two Parliaments.