BY SIFISO NHLABATSI
MBABANE – President Cyril Ramaphosa has challenged the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) to take a leading role in ensuring that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) moves beyond political commitments and becomes a reality through national legislation across the continent.
Addressing the opening of the First Ordinary Session of the Seventh Legislature of the Pan-African Parliament at Gallagher Estate in Midrand on Monday, Ramaphosa said the continental legislature must work closely with national and regional parliaments to domesticate AfCFTA commitments, harmonise laws and hold governments accountable for implementing the landmark trade agreement.
Among those attending the session were Eswatini’s representatives to the Pan-African Parliament, Senator Tony Sibandze, Senator Stuckie Motsa, and Members of Parliament David Ngcamphalala, Welcome Dlamini and Sibongile Mamba, who joined lawmakers from across the continent to deliberate on Africa’s development agenda.
Ramaphosa described the AfCFTA as Africa’s most powerful instrument for achieving economic integration, industrialisation and sustainable development, saying its success would depend on the willingness of member states to translate continental agreements into enforceable domestic laws.
“The Pan-African Parliament must work with national and regional parliaments to domesticate AfCFTA commitments, harmonise legislation and hold governments accountable for implementation,” Ramaphosa said.
He said while the agreement represented Africa’s greatest opportunity to unlock inclusive economic growth, legal and institutional reforms were urgently needed to ensure its full implementation.
According to the South African President, agreements signed by governments alone would not create a functioning continental market.
Instead, African countries must remove non-tariff barriers, modernise customs systems, improve transport and logistics, harmonise regulations and establish efficient payment systems to make it easier and cheaper for African businesses to trade across borders.
Ramaphosa said if fully implemented, the AfCFTA would dismantle many of the economic barriers inherited from the colonial era and unlock unprecedented opportunities for African businesses and citizens.
“It will open our rivers to commerce and our ports to trade. It is the foundation on which we will build new factories, develop new mines, plough new fields and build new data centres,” he said.
He added that the agreement would help create employment opportunities, particularly for women and young people, while enabling Africa to develop the skills needed to compete in the global economy.
“It will allow the women and youth of this continent to place their energies and capabilities in the service of inclusive growth,” he said.
Ramaphosa warned, however, that without decisive parliamentary oversight and legislative action, many of Africa’s ambitious continental commitments would remain “aspirations on paper.”
He said lawmakers carried the responsibility of ensuring that regional and continental agreements were incorporated into national development plans, legal frameworks and government programmes.
The President also called on PAP to strengthen oversight of African Union flagship projects and ensure member states honoured their commitments under Agenda 2063.
He said the continental parliament should continue promoting democratic governance, constitutionalism, accountability and transparency while defending the independence of democratic institutions.
Beyond trade, Ramaphosa urged African legislators to intensify efforts towards peace and security, climate resilience, migration management and sustainable development.
He noted that Africa was facing mounting challenges from geopolitical tensions, climate change, armed conflicts and economic instability, making continental unity more important than ever.
Ramaphosa extended condolences to the governments and people of Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia following devastating wildfires that recently claimed lives and destroyed property, describing the disasters as further evidence of the growing impact of climate change on the continent.
He also highlighted this year’s African Union theme on sustainable water availability and sanitation, saying access to clean water remained one of Africa’s most pressing development challenges.
He urged parliamentarians to champion legislation that promotes investment in water infrastructure, strengthens oversight of public spending and ensures governments deliver reliable water and sanitation services.
On migration, Ramaphosa acknowledged rising anti-migrant sentiment in parts of South Africa and other African countries but warned against blaming migrants for unemployment, crime or failures in public service delivery.
He called for balanced migration policies that combined effective immigration management with the protection of human dignity and the rule of law.
The President said African countries must also address the root causes of migration, including poverty, conflict, instability and poor governance, to ensure people migrate by choice rather than necessity.
Ramaphosa reaffirmed South Africa’s long-standing commitment to African unity, recalling that the country became a member of the Organisation of African Unity shortly after attaining democracy in 1994.
He said South Africa had since played an active role in strengthening continental institutions, promoting peacekeeping, supporting democratic governance and contributing to initiatives such as the African Peer Review Mechanism, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
Reflecting on Africa’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ramaphosa said the continent had demonstrated the power of solidarity by establishing the Africa Medical Supplies Platform and the African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team, while extending support to Caribbean countries through pooled procurement mechanisms.
He said the same spirit of cooperation was needed to advance trade, industrialisation and regional integration under the AfCFTA.
Ramaphosa concluded by urging the Seventh Legislature of the Pan-African Parliament to focus on practical outcomes rather than declarations.
“The success of this Seventh Legislature will not be measured only by the debates it holds or the resolutions it adopts. It will be measured by the laws it helps to shape, the commitments it helps to implement and the difference it makes in the daily lives of the people of Africa,” he said.
He called on the Parliament to become “the conscience of our continent”, the guardian of democracy and a champion of peace as Africa pursues greater economic integration and shared prosperity.
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