PORTO NOVO – Pan-African Parliament (PAP) President Chief Fortune Charumbira has urged African lawmakers to close ranks and take decisive parliamentary action to confront the continent’s deepening challenges, including food insecurity, terrorism, and economic instability.
Speaking during the official opening of Benin’s National Assembly in Porto Novo on Thursday, Chief Charumbira outlined a grim picture of the current continental landscape and warned that time was running out to address the growing list of crises affecting millions of Africans.
“Our people still face the looming threat of food insecurity and malnutrition, the resurgence of unconstitutional changes of government, the expanding threat of terrorism and violent extremism across the continent,” said Charumbira.
He pointed to persistent energy insecurity, youth unemployment, illicit financial flows, and human trafficking as major obstacles to sustainable development. He also lamented the impact of colonial-era education systems, restricted intra-African movement, and disjointed legislative frameworks that continue to hinder progress under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Charumbira expressed deep concern over the rise in violent conflicts, especially in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which have left millions displaced and in dire need of humanitarian assistance.
“In Eastern DRC, over 1 million people have sought refuge abroad, while 21 million require urgent aid. In Sudan, over 15,000 people have been killed and 8.2 million displaced. These tragic realities raise critical questions. Why has Africa failed to effectively address these conflicts?” he asked.
He questioned the effectiveness of the African Union’s efforts, including its “Silencing the Guns by 2030” initiative, and called for a renewed parliamentary approach to promote peace and stability.
“The rise of coups and coups within coups in West Africa and the escalating conflicts in Sudan and the DRC point to the failure of all the intervention measures attempted to date by both the African Union and other stakeholders,” he noted.
Charumbira emphasized the role of parliaments in implementing Agenda 2063, the African Union’s long-term development blueprint, and called on Benin’s legislature to contribute meaningfully to continental integration and transformation.
“A united parliamentary voice is essential if Africa is to fulfill its potential and take its rightful place as a global powerhouse,” he said
