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The President of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP), H. E. Hon. Chief Fortune F. Charumbira has called on the Arabs to invest in Africa, especially in the fields of infrastructure and agriculture, pointing out that the continent is rich in natural resources.
H. E. Chief Charumbira made the call on Saturday while delivering a speech as the guest of honour at the Arab Parliament’s 5th Conference of Speakers of National Arab Assemblies and Councils in Cairo, Egypt.
He pointed out that investors come to Africa from the West, but there is a need for Arab investments and insisted that there should be room for coordination between Arab Parliaments and the Pan-African Parliament to enhance economic cooperation between both sides.
He also stressed the need to come up with innovative methods to finance the economies of both parties through smart partnerships on a win-win basis to ensure that the economies of both regions are spurred to maximum economic potential.
All these measures according to H. E. Chief Charumbira, should be done in the context of well-defined roadmaps that include the Agenda 2063 and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The Arab Parliament and the Pan African Parliament must act in unison in the implementation of roadmaps that can help our region achieve accelerated socio-economic development, he continued.
He commended Rt. Hon. Speaker AlAsoomi and his team not just for bringing together Speakers of National Arab Assemblies and Councils, but also for doing so under a theme that is very relevant and timely especially to Africa and the Arab World, that is, “A Parliamentary Vision to Strengthen Food Security in the Arab World.”
Charumbira pointed out that the composition of the conference and the theme acknowledges three things: firstly, those Parliaments have an indispensable role to play in guaranteeing food security in their Member States, regions, and continents; secondly, regional Parliaments, regional economic communities, and continental organs can only succeed through close collaboration with each other; and, thirdly, that Honourable Speakers as the political heads of their national Parliaments should be at the forefront as Parliaments play their part in strengthening food security in the Arab World and Africa.
The PAP President concluded with a clarion call to action by insisting that meaningful action must follow the resolutions that the conference adopts and reminded them of the words of Benjamin Franklin rightly stated that “Well done is better than well said.” “The words spoken in this conference may inspire, but it is the only action that will create change,” he said.