The Pan-African Parliament (PAP): Issues, Challenges and Prospects

Abstract

This paper explores the issues and challenges confronting the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) as well as the prospects of galvanizing its potentials in delivering its mandate. The paper utilizes secondary materials as its sources of data collection and analysis. It is prefaced with a conceptual clarification of the term “treaty” in order to place the reader on a reasonable pedestal to gain a quick understanding of the raison d’ tre of Treaty establishing African Economic Community relating to the Pan-African Parliament. The paper reviews the structures of the PAP and acknowledged some of its achievements, to wit: passage of series of Resolutions to back up its decisions at plenary sessions; intervention in crisis-ridden countries; provision of employment opportunities to hitherto jobless youths at its Secretariat; and the creation of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM. Furthermore, the paper highlights some of the challenges facing the PAP, chief, among which are: “sit-tight syndrome” afflicting some incumbent presidents of Member States, endemic corruption; paucity of funds to run the PAP; irregular meetings of its Standing Committees; and lack of political will to enforce its Resolutions. To address these challenges, the paper contends that the PAP should: i) put necessary machinery in motion towards enforcing its Resolutions; ii) ensure that the meetings of its Standing Committees are held quarterly as opposed to bi- annually; and iii) that the problems of “sit-tight syndrome”, corruption as well as electoral malpractices should be tackled effectively. The paper concludes that the potentials of achieving the purpose for which it was established if all critical elements involved in its activities are committed to the realization of its objectives.