The Standing Committees of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) pleaded on Wednesday in Midrand, South Africa, for better management of public finances to avoid the “trap of over-indebtedness” into which several African countries fell following the Covid-19 crisis. 19.
“Faced with the harsh repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic, many African countries have been forced to borrow on an unprecedented scale, which will likely see these countries default, thus locking them into a vicious cycle,” declared the Commissions during a meeting organized within the framework of the work of the PAP which is held from August 22 to September 02 at the headquarters of this institution.
Speaking on this occasion, the President of the Justice and Human Rights Commission, Jean-Marie Nibirantije, said that it was essential for Africa to get out of the debt trap and channel its resources towards the improvement of healthcare and education systems.
“It is high time to consider policies that will help us find solutions to fight debt in Africa. Our continent has more pressing issues that require significant financial resources,” he added.
She also warned that Africa “cannot continue to spend billions on debt servicing” as its people continue to suffer from lack of investment in basic infrastructure.
For his part, the Executive Director of the African Forum and Network on Debt and Development (AFRODAD), Jason Rozario Braganza, noted that Covid-19 had dealt a severe blow to the global economy, causing business closures. and job losses.
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Faced with this crisis, many African governments have been forced to borrow, he recalled, noting that even before the pandemic, some low-income countries were already spending more to service their international debt than to strengthen their local health and education systems.
Mr. Braganza, in this regard, argued that it was important to ensure the implementation of the African Union’s Agenda 2063, because it represents the basis that will allow the African continent to mobilize its own resources in the face of challenges he faces.
The PAP Standing Committees are meeting for twelve days as part of the institution’s sixth legislature under the theme: “Building Nutrition Resilience on the African Continent: Accelerating Human, Social and Economic Development”. They work on several economic, security, health and human rights issues in Africa.
The Commissions thus address the Covid-19 crisis and the economic and social recovery strategies in Africa, the status of the implementation of the Continental Free Trade Area (ZLECAf), the model law on gender parity , as well as the status of implementation of the African Union Ten Year Plan of Action to Eradicate Child Labor and Human Trafficking.
During this Pan-African conclave, Afro-deputies are called upon to participate in five thematic sessions which mark the resumption of parliamentary activities since the ordinary session last June which was crowned by the election of the Bureau of the PAP, caucuses representing the five regions of Africa, as well as Standing Commissions.
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