BY THEMBA ZWANE
EZULWINI- The Organisation of the African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) Secretary General (SG), His Excellency Moussa Batraki informed continental Parliamentarians that His Majesty King Mswati III’s historic chairing of the Roundtable on Resource Mobilisation in Malabo, Equitorial Guinea sent a strong political message to the world.
The SG paid special tribute to the King during the OACPS African Region Parliamentary Group Meeting on May 11, 2026 at the Ezulwini Palazzo, International Convention Centre (ICC).
“Allow me on behalf of the Secretariat of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), to warmly welcome you to this 15th Session of the OACPS Parliamentary Assembly.
I would like to pay special tribute to His Majesty King Mswati III for his unwavering commitment to our organisation. This commitment was demonstrated in a remarkable way during the 11th Summit of Heads of State and Government in Malabo, notably through His Majesty’s chairing of the historic Roundtable on Resource Mobilisation. That Roundtable was a landmark event. It sent a strong political message: the OACPS can no longer rely solely on external support. It must increasingly mobilise its own resources, assume greater responsibility for its future, and rally its member states around a common vision,” said the SG.
Successfully Organising Malabo Summit
Batraki added that he would also like to extend his warmest appreciation to the authorities of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, under the leadership of His Excellency President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, President-in-Office of the OACPS Summit, for successfully organising the Malabo Summit.
That Summit, he said, will remain a significant political milestone in the history of the organization.
“Honourable Members of Parliament,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Allow me to begin by reflecting briefly on the outcomes of the Malabo Summit.
The message from our Heads of State and Government was clear: the OACPS must transform itself. It must revitalise itself. It must regain its full political credibility. It must strengthen its financial autonomy. It must become more visible, more influential, and more useful to its member states and their peoples,” he said.
In Malabo, the SG noted that their leaders reaffirmed that the organisation remains a unique platform — a platform that brings together Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific; a platform capable of speaking with one voice in a rapidly changing world; a platform that can become a genuine instrument for global cooperation, political dialogue, solidarity, and international influence.
OACPS MUST UNDERGO DEEP TRANSFORMATION
However, he said, their leaders also emphasised an important reality: minor adjustments were no longer sufficient.
He said the OACPS must undergo deep transformation — institutional transformation, financial transformation, political transformation, and transformation in the way it works with member states, partners, and its own organs.
It was within this context, Batraki said, that the Summit mandated the initiation of the review of the Georgetown Agreement. He said the review should enable them to modernise their organisation, clarify its institutional architecture, and better reflect the role of its various components, including the parliamentary dimension.
“Honourable Members of Parliament,
This meeting is of particular importance to me, as it is my first engagement with you since assuming office one year ago. Allow me, therefore, to speak frankly.
When we assumed our responsibilities, we found an organization facing serious difficulties — significant financial constraints, the accumulation of arrears, declining external support, administrative challenges, and an urgent need for reform,” he said.
Initiated Processes Of Recovery
The SG highlighted that it would have been easier to close than to change course.
Yet, over the past year, they have initiated a process of recovery. They have restructured the Secretariat, undertaken internal reforms, and strengthened administrative and financial discipline in order to restore credibility with their partners.
He said they have also taken a major symbolic and strategic steps through the acquisition of the OACPS Headquarters in Brussels.
This, he said was not merely a building. It was an act of ownership. It was a message to their member states, their partners, and themselves that the OACPS must stand on a solid foundation, with a common home and a working tool commensurate with its ambitions.
“We have also revived dialogue with our partners, most notably the European Union. However, this partnership can no longer remain solely a matter for executives, administrations, or secretariats. The Parliamentary Assembly must play a more central, more political, and more strategic role.
Honourable Members of Parliament,
The relationship between the OACPS and the European Union is entering a new phase under the Samoa Agreement. This new phase requires stronger parliamentary involvement,” he said.
Voice The Concerns Of Citizens
The SG said this was because parliamentarians represent the people. They voted on budgets. They oversee public action. They ratify agreements. They voice the concerns of citizens and they remind governments of their responsibilities toward the organisation.
“The OACPS cannot claim to be closer to its people if parliamentarians are not given a stronger role.
It is for this reason that my vision is clear.
I would like to see the OACPS Parliamentary Assembly meet regularly every year — not only among ourselves, but also with other partners and parliamentary blocs — to discuss the major issues affecting our regions: South-South cooperation, development financing, peace and security, trade, industrialization, climate change, critical raw materials, youth employment, and many others,” said Batraki.
The SG further noted that the way they worked at the Parliamentary Assembly level must also evolve.He said they cannot continue with processes that are too lengthy, too bureaucratic, and too indirect.
He said they must establish a direct directory of parliamentarians to facilitate communication — to share documents efficiently, conduct consultations, keep members informed of priorities, and enable their timely contribution to important decisions.
Secretariat To Establish Dedicated Team
He pointed out that he would also like the Secretariat to establish a dedicated team responsible specifically for parliamentary activities.
For this reason, he said, the key agendas of the OACPS must increasingly be championed by parliamentarians themselves.
“Allow me also to recognise the exceptional level of mobilization in this room. Among the 48 African member states, 40 are represented here today. This is a historic level of participation — even higher than the level recorded during the Summit of Heads of State and Government. This presence sends a powerful message. It demonstrates that African parliamentarians believe in this organisation,” said the SG.
He noted that the impressive attendance demonstrated that the Parliamentary Assembly can become a living, strategic, and influential space for dialogue and action.
He said he was also aware that the Assembly has not met over the past two years. Financial difficulties, institutional limitations, and weaknesses in their current system have weighed heavily on its functioning.
Council Of Ministers Or Heads Of State
However, he said, they must not remain prisoners of these challenges.
They must learn from them and build stronger mechanisms for the future.
He said the future of the OACPS will not be built only in the Council of Ministers or among Heads of State. It will also be built there — in Parliament — and through the representatives of their people.
He said it was therefore his sincere hope, and indeed his deep conviction, that the session will mark the beginning of a renewed future for the OACPS Parliamentary Assembly in Africa — a future founded on responsibility, commitment, cooperation, direct engagement with the Secretariat, and a shared vision of a stronger, more political, more independent, and more effective organisation in service of the people.
#OACPS #AfricanRegion #ParliamentaryGroup #ResourceMobilisation #ContinentalLegislators #Eswatini #EzulwiniPalazzo #Secretariat #PoliticalMessage
