Cape Verde President José Maria Neves has pledged his support to the Pan-African Parliament and committed to decisive action on the ratification of African Union legal instruments.
Neves made the commitment during a meeting with members of the West African Caucus of the Pan-African Parliament, who were in Cape Verde on an advocacy mission for the ratification of AU legal instruments that promote good governance, respect for human rights, justice, and the rule of law in Africa.
The delegation briefed Neves on the purpose of their mission and provided context and the significance of the 2014 Protocol to the Constitutive Act of the African Union relating to the Pan-African Parliament (Revised Protocol of the Pan-African Parliament/Malabo Protocol); the African Charter on Democracy, Elections, and Governance (ACDEG); the Protocol to the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community relating to Free Movement of Persons, Right of Residence, and Right of Establishment; and the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Africa. These protocols are yet to be ratified by Cape Verde.
The leadership of the West African Caucus congratulated the President for Cape Verde’s signature and ratification of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), urging the acceleration of its implementation in line with the African Union theme for 2023.
Thanking the delegation for choosing Cape Verde as part of its advocacy exercise, Neves reiterated the country’s commitment to the African Union and its agenda for a more prosperous and peaceful continent.
The President added that it is important for the Pan-African Parliament to have more weight in the decision-making process in Africa since the body is an important pillar in the architecture of the African Union.
Finally, Neves promised that by February 2024, during the next summit of the African Union, Cape Verde would have signed, ratified, and deposited the majority of the Protocols for which the Pan-African Parliament made pleas. He said that it is time for Africa to wake up and take its rightful place in the world.
