Africa / World

Moses Magadza  The secretary general of the Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF), Boemo Sekgoma, has called for urgent and sustained parliamentary action to eliminate Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Speaking at the launch of the updated Global Report on FGM/Cutting at the 69th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), Sekgoma described FGM as a “very live and serious issue” in the SADC region that must be tackled with urgency. She noted that, despite regional and international frameworks, the practice continues to devastate the lives of millions of girls, particularly in Africa. “Over 50%…

Moses Magadza  UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director Christine Stegling has called on global leaders to prioritize HIV prevention and treatment for women and girls amid shrinking resources.  She made the appeal at a high-level side event hosted by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) during the 69th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69).  The event focused on the urgency of HIV prevention and treatment for women and girls, emphasizing the importance of CSW Resolution 60/2 in advancing gender equality and ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. Stegling praised SADC’s leadership in championing the resolution,…

Moses Magadza  Zimbabwe’s Minister of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, Monica Mutsvangwa, has urged Southern African countries and the global community to intensify efforts in tackling the structural drivers of women and girls’ vulnerability to HIV and gender inequality. The minister made the call during a Southern African Development Community (SADC) side event at the ongoing 69th session of the commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) here on 17 March. Speaking under the theme “Beijing+30: Taking Stock of CSW Resolution 60/2; Keeping the Promise for Women and Girls”, Mutsvangwa, representing Zimbabwe as the current SADC chair,…

Moses Magadza The Speaker of the Parliament of Botswana, Dithapelo Keorapetse, has urged African nations to move towards economic self-sufficiency by leveraging the continent’s vast natural and human resources. Keorapetse, Southern Africa’s youngest ever Speaker at the age of 42, made the call at the official opening of an online training workshop on trade-related issues, jointly organised by the Trade and Law Centre (TRALAC) and the SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF), with support from SIDA. He stressed the importance of regional integration and intra-African trade. Hon Keorapetse said Africa had untapped economic potential and urged SADC member states to fully…

Moses Magadza The Trade and Law Centre (TRALAC), in collaboration with the SADC Parliamentary Forum, is hosting an online training workshop on trade-related issues from 18 to 19 February. Masenate Molapo, the manager for the Standing Committee on Trade, Industry, Finance, and Investment (TIFI) programme of the SADC PF, said the training seeks to equip Members of Parliament (MPs) and parliamentary staff with a foundational understanding of trade and trade agreements to better contribute to regional economic integration and policy development. “Trade liberalisation and cooperation are central to SADC’s mission of promoting sustainable economic growth and development. Through this training,…

Moses Magadza The vice president of the SADC PF, Sylvia Elizabeth Lucas, has praised Zambia’s advancements in leadership and national security strategy. Lucas did this last week during a courtesy call on the Speaker of the National Assembly of Zambia, Nelly Butete Kashumba Mutti.  The courtesy call happened during a roundtable in Lusaka, focusing on security, rule of law, and capacity development. Clare Musonda, Programme Manager for the Regional Women’s Parliamentary Caucus, and  Paulina Kanguatjivi, Assistant Procedural Officer both at SADC PF, accompanied Lucas on the visit.  “We have been privileged to participate in the National Security Strategy Implementation and…

Stefanus Nashama Former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, in his role as facilitator of the East African Community (EAC)-led Nairobi process, has expressed concerns over the ongoing instability in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Despite ongoing dialogue efforts, Kenyatta highlighted in a report on Thursday that both the political and security situations in eastern DRC remain precarious. Kenyatta, who was tasked by the EAC with leading peace efforts in the region, explained that, despite consultations between DRC President Félix Tshisekedi and the M23 rebel group, instability continues to plague the region. "The political and security landscape in the DRC became…

Moses Magadza In a groundbreaking innovation poised to transform lives, 15-year-old Mwape Chimpampa, a Grade 11 pupil from Naboye Secondary School in Kafue District in Zambia, has developed an organic sunscreen to address the dire need for sun protection among people with albinism.  Her invention, named The Organic Sunscreen, is incubated at the Zambia Research and Development Center (ZRDC), where efforts are underway to bring it to mass production. For Chimpampa, this innovation is deeply personal. Having lost her father to skin cancer  in the year 2017, she was determined to create a solution to prevent others from facing the…

Moses Magadza A project titled, “Strengthening Parliamentary Capacity in the Southern African Development Community” that the SADC Parliamentary Forum implemented from 2019 to 2023 posted impressive results despite the impacts of COVID-19, an official has said. Last week, Sheuneni Kurasha, the manager of the Programme on Democracy, Governance & Human Rights at SADC PF, highlighted some of the project’s successes. The project sought to enhance parliamentary capacity in the SADC region, with a vision of transforming the SADC PF into a fully-fledged Regional Parliament.  This transformation was endorsed by the 41st SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government in August…