Welcoming address by the Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Alvin Botes, at the opening ceremony of the Annual Conference of Speakers of African Parliaments, Pan-African Parliament Precinct, Midrand, South Africa, 29 September 2025
President of the Pan-African Parliament, His Excellency, The Right Honourable Chief Fortune Charumbira,
Members of the Bureau of the Pan-African Parliament,
The Speaker of the Transitional National Assembly of Gabon, HE Jean-François NDONGOU, representing the Guest of Honour, the President of the Republic of Gabon, His Excellency, Brice Oligui Nguema,
The Vice Presidents of the Pan African Parliament, Hon. Dr. Habib, Hon. Dr. Gayo and Hon. Lucia dos Passos,
The Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces of the Republic of South Africa, Hon. Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane,
Hon. Speakers of National and Regional Parliaments,
Hon. Members of the Pan African Parliament,
The Director for External Offices in the EU’s Directorate for Parliamentary Democracy Partnerships, Mr. Oumar Doumbouya, and representatives of the EU Parliament here present,
The Clerk of the Pan African Parliament, Ms. Lindiwe Khumalo and Resource Persons,
Members of the 4th Estate, the Media Fraternity,
Members of the Diplomatic Corps,
Distinguished Delegates,
Karibuni!
Bom dia!
Bonjour!
Wamkelikile!
On behalf of the Host Government and the people of the Republic of South Africa we welcome you to the 2025 Annual Conference of Speakers of African Parliaments.
Nelson Mandela would have reminded us that “what counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead”.
Honourable Members,
The vision and purpose of the PAP can be traced directly to the Pan-African ideals of cooperation and unity among African states, leading ultimately to the establishment of an African Economic Community (AEC). These ideals inspired amongst others the signing of the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community (the Abuja Treaty) on 3 June 1991, and the adoption of the Sirte Declaration of 1999. The Sirte Declaration called for speedy establishment of the institutions provided for in the Abuja Treaty, and the PAP was envisioned as a platform from which the African peoples, and not states or leaders, could be represented in the decision-making processes affecting the continent.
Indeed, the PAP Protocol enjoins the new institution, among other things, to facilitate effective implementation of the AU’s policies and objectives. Accordingly, Article 3 of the PAP Protocol outlines some of the key objectives for which the PAP is responsible. In terms of the Lagos Plan of Action, the Final Lagos Act and the Protocol to the Abuja Treaty, the PAP is regarded to be among the key pillars of progress towards the creation of the African Economic Community (AEC). Specifically, the PAP has been set up with the express aim of providing African peoples with a common participatory platform and a representative forum.
Honourable Members,
We meet just days after the conclusion of the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). From that Assembly, one of the main messages that rang out with unmistakable clarity from the Global South: the international system demands urgent reform.
We are living in a period many analysts describe as a poly-crisis—where genocide in Gaza converges with wars in Africa. There is a drastic rise in racism, sexism, xenophobia and other related intolerances. There is a rise in, narrow nationalism, ethnicism, tribalism, right-wing populism, violent extremism, terrorism, religious fundamentalism, and the toxic spread of fake news. In this transitional epoch from unilateralism to multilateralism, and from unipolarity to multipolarity, the PAP must be a key catalyst anchor organ of the AU, which should insist on international law, human rights, sovereignty and solidarity.
Excellencies,
We are also reminded that this year marked the 70th Anniversary of the Bandung Conference of 1955. It gave birth to the principles which have guided the AU and our predecessor the OAU since its birth. Today, as we face wars and conflicts in amongst others Sudan, South Sudan and the DRC and a genocide in Gaza, coupled with the lingering question of Western Sahara’s de-colonisation, the spirit and principles of Bandung are more relevant than ever. The Pan-African Parliament must be its custodian, ensuring that the flame of solidarity, human rights, international law, non-alignment and multilateralism does not die in a fractured world.
Honourable Speakers,
The African Union’s agenda of “Silencing the Guns” must not be an aspiration deferred. The PAP must play its role in oversight, accountability, and ensuring that our Continent no longer bleeds from preventable conflicts.
Distinguished Delegates,
“The political independence of any one African state will be valueless unless it is linked with the economic liberation of all Africa. Only a strong political union can bring about full industrialisation, the effective control of our resources, and the economic independence which is the only safeguard of our political independence.” (Kwame Nkrumah, 1963)
As we bring to life the vision of our Pan-African Founding Father through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), we are reminded that it is not just a treaty—it is a lifeline. By creating a single African market of 1.4 billion people, AfCFTA has the potential to boost intra-African trade by more than 50 percent, industrialise our economies, and create jobs for our restless and creative youth.
But for the AfCFTA to succeed, Parliaments must play a catalytic role: by harmonising laws, reducing barriers, and ensuring that commitments are implemented. Integration is not the work of executives alone—it requires the guardianship of Parliaments.
Excellencies,
We also meet at a time when Africa finds itself at the centre of a new scramble for critical and rare earth minerals—the backbone of the green transition, artificial intelligence, the digital economy, and modern defence systems.
From cobalt in the DRC, lithium in Zimbabwe, manganese in South Africa, to uranium in Niger—the future of the world is buried in African soil.
Yet this wealth is a double-edged sword!
Without control, beneficiation, and integration, it risks becoming another curse of extraction—feeding foreign industries while leaving Africa impoverished. The PAP, together with the AU, must not be left behind and caught off guard. It must act with urgency to play a leading role in the development of legislation and policy that will regulate and ensure that Africa develops an integrated, fully African-controlled supply chain: from mining to processing to manufacturing.
The critical minerals must not be exported raw; they must be the building blocks of African industrialisation, African digital economies, and African energy transitions.
Honourable Speakers,
This is a moment of historic opportunity—an opportunity that speaks both to our past and to our future.
In 2025, South Africa will proudly host the African Diaspora Week, a bold initiative that reinforces ties with our Sixth Region, as recognised by the African Union. African Diaspora Week will therefore serve as the foundation for a new covenant between the continent and its extended family: one rooted in solidarity, Pan-Africanism, and shared prosperity.
But this year also gives us another unprecedented milestone. For the first time in history, Africa will host the G20 Leaders’ Summit, here on our soil, under South Africa’s Presidency of the G20. And for the first time, the African Union will participate as a full and permanent member of the G20—an achievement that has transformed the architecture of global governance.
This Summit must not be business as usual. It is not only a diplomatic milestone, it is a turning point. The world will gather in Africa, and Africa must speak with clarity and courage.
Under the theme of Solidarity, Sustainability, Equality, South Africa’s G20 Presidency provides us with a historic platform to insist that the G20 prioritises the real needs of the Global South:
- Debt cancellation and restructuring
- Climate justice and financing
- Food and energy security
- Fair trade and digital inclusion
- Reform of global financial institutions
For this reason, the G20 must not be left only to governments. Africa’s citizens must be represented, and our Parliaments must help shape the conversation. That is why the P20 Parliamentary Forum serves as a bridge—bringing the voices of this very Conference of Speakers into the heart of G20 deliberations.
The Pan-African Parliament must ensure that Africa’s priorities—peace, security, development, equity, and justice—are not marginal notes, but central pillars in the outcomes of the Summit.
Let us be clear: the Diaspora Week and the G20 Summit are not isolated events. They are part of a single Pan-African moment—a moment in which Africa consolidates its unity at home, deepens its ties with its global family abroad, and asserts its rightful place in the governance of the world.
It is our duty, as the elected representatives of the people of Africa, to ensure that this moment does not pass us by. It must be seized, shaped, and transformed into a new chapter of African agency in world affairs.
Excellencies,
In conclusion, globally we are at a critical conjuncture—the Pan-African Parliament must not whisper when history demands a roar.
In a world scarred by amongst others genocide, war, racism, sexism, tribalism, ethnicism and other related intolerances, Africa must stand as a beacon of justice, solidarity, and humanity. We must keep alive the spirit of Bandung, the dream of Agenda 2063, and the hope of generations yet to come.
We must insist that multilateralism is not discarded, that international law and human rights is not selective, and that solidarity remains Africa’s greatest gift to the world.
South Africa, as host, recommits itself to supporting the Pan-African Parliament, to strengthening its voice, and to ensuring it remains the unyielding conscience of our Continent.
May the spirit of Ubuntu infuse our deliberations. May our unity prove unbreakable. And may history record that when the world stood at the edge of a crisis, Africa—through its Parliaments—chose courage, solidarity, human dignity, and justice.
The Africa we build today must be an Africa that our children will inherit with pride—an Africa of dignity, integration, inclusivity, prosperity, justice and peace.
Ke a leboga. Enkosi. Dankie. Thank you. Asante Sana. Shukran jazeelan. Obrigado. Gracias. Merci beaucoup!
#GovZAUpdates
