The Presiding Officers of Parliament have arrived in Yaounde in Cameroon, to attend a weeklong conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC). The National Assembly Speaker, Ms Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and the Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, Mr Amos Masondo, are leading a delegation of Speakers that includes Speakers of Gauteng, Western Cape, KwaZulu Natal, Northern Cape, and Limpopo legislatures.

The 18th CSPOC conference that begins today is scheduled to discuss matters of mutual interest including development challenges facing these Commonwealth of nations. The CSPOC Africa region meets bi-annually. It meets this year with a theme “African Parliaments and Agenda 2023”. The main theme is supported by a number of sub-themes that focus on, among others, building public trust in Parliaments, the Africa Free Trade Agreement, Food Security as well as on the impacts of climate change across the Continent.

As Speakers and Presiding Officers, their focus will be on how parliaments and legislatures should raise the bar in ensuring that these challenges and the high development targets set for the development of the African continent and her people are effectively achieved.

Currently, there are 63 Member legislatures of the Africa Region of the Commonwealth Speakers and Presiding Officers Conference, which includes both National and Subnational legislatures, hence the presence of the Speakers of various provincial legislatures of South Africa.

Also expected to feature during the discussions are the transformative targets of remodelling the Commonwealth into a truly multi-lateral organ free of the administrative structures that still resemble the colonial relations between the United Kingdom and various former colonies as today it is joined by even countries that were never British colonies or protectorates.

Source: Parliament of South Africa