Pan-African Parliament integration and mandate advocacy

The Pan-African Parliament (PAP) has been actively pursuing continental integration and the strengthening of its institutional mandate. During African Union Day, PAP leadership emphasized the importance of converting long-standing integration goals into concrete progress and advancing the objectives of Agenda 2063 through improved governance and security.

In addition to promoting climate agency and the translation of climate commitments into national legislation, the PAP is focusing on the ratification of key African Union instruments. From September 28 to October 1, 2026, the West African regional group of the PAP conducted an advocacy mission in Dakar, Senegal. Led by regional group president Honorable Lazare Yao Yao, the delegation included parliamentarians from Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Senegal, and Sierra Leone.

The mission sought to accelerate the ratification of the 2014 Revised Protocol relating to the Pan-African Parliament, which would grant the institution legislative powers. The delegation also advocated for the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, protocols on the free movement of persons, and rights concerning persons with disabilities and the eradication of statelessness. Furthermore, they promoted African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) protocols regarding investment, digital trade, and the participation of women and youth in commerce.

During the mission, the delegation met with Senegal’s First Vice-President of the National Assembly, El Malick Ndiaye. Ndiaye reaffirmed Senegal’s commitment to strengthening the PAP, consolidating democracy, and enhancing cooperation between national parliaments and continental institutions to better monitor PAP resolutions.