- West African MP says His Majesty right person as he was appointed resource mobilisation champion
- Mali MP calls for relocation of headquarters to Africa
BY THEMBA ZWANE
EZULWINI – Côte d’Ivoire Member of Parliament, (MP) Sangare Yacouba elected His Majesty King Mswati III to lead establishment of a newly proposed Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) Parliamentary Assembly Fund.
This was during the OACPS West Africa Region Parliamentary Group Meeting held at Ezulwini Palazzo on May 8, 2026.
Yacouba elected His Majesty as the leader of the Fund establishment after the Secretariat informed parliamentarians that the creation of the Fund was important for autonomy and enabling the organisation to operate independently without external influence.
European Union Support
The Secretariat representative, Economic Affairs Officer/Specialist Assistant, Dr Mbodou Moustapha Adji, also disclosed that employees of the Secretariat had since been slashed to 30 from over 100 due to lack of financial sustainability. It was mentioned that the organisation is mainly supported by the European Union (EU) only when there are such meetings to convene but lacked any financing on any other day. Which is why they realised that it was important to establish the proposed Fund for self-sustainability.
The MP, firstly mentioned that he attended the Malabo, Equitorial Guinea, conference not as a Head of State but was only accompanying the Head of State.
“I was merely accompanying the Head of State. However, I was present, together with others, in support of the Secretary-General’s efforts to breathe new life into the organisation. Following the recent reforms, which included the reduction of staff members and the closure of certain departments, the organisation found itself in a difficult position. There was therefore an urgent need to develop a strategy to revitalise it. This initiative was championed by Eswatini, particularly through His Majesty the King of Eswatini, who was appointed as the Resource Mobilisation Champion, so he must be the one leading this initiative,” submitted Yacouba.
His Majesty Took Responsibility
The MP informed member states that His Majesty undertook this responsibility in support of the organisation, and said they were grateful that during the plenary session in Malabo, there were several voluntary contributions pledged by member states.
On average, the MP said, some countries contributed around E8.2 million (US$500 000), while others pledged as much as E82 million (US$5 million) individually.
“However, this approach is not sustainable in the long term. Another challenge remains the issue of assessed contributions by member states, many of which are not being honoured. Although the proceedings in Malabo encouraged some countries to settle their outstanding contributions, I fear that in future the lack of consistent financial commitment may once again paralyse the activities of the organisation,” he said.
Actual Financial Contributions
The legislator said It was commendable to include contribution provisions within the budget framework, but these must ultimately be backed by actual financial contributions.
At the same time, he said they have vibrant private sectors in several industries, particularly telecommunications and mobile telephony. This, he said, was a rapidly growing sector generating substantial profits annually, making it a potentially valuable partner in resource mobilisation efforts. He said they should also not overlook the mining sector, which could likewise contribute towards supporting the operations of the institutions.
“I simply wanted to raise these points for reflection as we consider the future. These could become possible areas of action and may contribute meaningfully to the development of our Parliament and our organisation more broadly,” he said.
Supplementary Financing Mechanisms
This, the MP said, was merely food for thought. He urged that they continued reflecting on how they can establish supplementary financing mechanisms that are both effective and sustainable.
On another note, Mali Parliament representative submitted or suggested that organisation Secretariat headquarters be relocated to Africa.
The Secretariat of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. As of late 2025, the OACPS secured a new permanent headquarters, marking a significant, renewed chapter for the 79-member body.
Parliamentary Group Meeting
This, however, was faced with opposition as the Chairperson for the OACPS West Africa Region Parliamentary Group Meeting, Mathew Nyuma.
The chairperson said location of the Secretariat headquarters was enshrined in the constitution of the organisation For this simple reason, the chairperson informed the Mali MP that he was sorry but her suggestions came with serious complexity in as far as implementation was concerned.
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