MEDIA STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PRETORIA, Friday, August 16, 2013-SPEAKER of Zambia’s National Assembly (Parliament) Rt. Honourable Dr Patrick Matibini says Africa needs to eliminate the unfortunate legacy of conducting more trade with other continents when there is very little intra-Africa trade. Speaker Matibini, who is currently attending a conference at the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) here in South Africa, said yesterday said that to enhance trade on the Continent, Africa needs to address the question of eliminating barriers by harmonizing policies and legislation, stressing that that was one of the subjects being looked at during the ongoing meeting. He said what needed to be looked at was taking advantage of each country’s competitive advantage and maximize their use in the region. Speaker Matibini cited the development of telecommunications, the road and rail network as some of the key infrastructure that needs to be rationalized in order to push the agenda for the region. “The unfortunate legacy that needs to be replaced is where most of the trade is actually done with other continents; Europe, Americas, the Asia and so forth; and yet among Africa countries there is very little trade going on,” Speaker Matibini observed. He stressed the development of strategies within the legislative branches of government that would assist their counterparts in the Executive to accelerate the integration of African economies, thereby increasing trade which would then translate into poverty reduction and wealth sharing. Speaker Matibini said the Zambian Parliament was part of the broad strategy to ensure that Africa harmonized its policies and programmes for increased international trade on the Continent, adding that in the absence of legislative power, PAP could come up with proto-type laws which could then be adopted by member countries. “Through participation of the Speakers and delegates to PAP, members of parliament, together they can develop legislation which would be sold, so to speak, to the national Parliaments so that we develop a common approach and standards towards legislation,” Speaker Matibini said, adding that this was feasible. “You see we have so much in common than differences. And as you know Africa in its present state, boundaries etc, is actually a legacy of colonialism…I think it would be beneficial if we use all our comparative advantages to ensure that we promote trade amongst African countries.” Speaker Matibini is leading a Zambian delegation to the 2013 Conference of Speakers of African Parliament in Midrand, South Africa, from 15-16 August, 2013. Other members of the delegation include Mrs Doris Katai K Mwinga, Clerk of the National Assembly; Mr Roy Ngulube, Executive Assistant to the Honourabe Mr Speaker, and Mr John Chelu, Aide-De-Camp to the Hon Mr Speaker. Issued by: Patson Chilemba FIRST SECRETARY (PRESS) FOR/HIGH COMMISSIONER RSA
Posted on: Fri, 16 Aug 2013 13:15:32 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015