Story by: Gilbert Borketey Boyefio
The Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, H.E. Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, has advocated for African countries to adopt a unified African Foreign Policy to strengthened Africa’s position at the international stage.
Addressing journalists during a media briefing to herald the end of the two-days Joint Consultative Meeting between the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) and the African Union Peace and Security Council (PSC) in Midrand, South Africa, H.E. Bankole Adeoye, indicated that the Commission will propose guideline to the PSC on how to accomplish a common foreign policy.
The lack of unified foreign policy across African nations weakens Africa’s collective influence and ability to advance its interests on the global stage. While individual nations pursue their own foreign policies, the absence of a cohesive continental approach hinders Africa’s capacity to address shared challenges and opportunities effectively. This fragmentation allows external powers to exploit divisions and pursue their own agendas, potentially undermining African agency and development.
Emphasizing the need for the reform of global governance to better represent Africa’s interests, the two-days Joint Consultative Meeting underscored the need for parliamentary voice in support of the AU’s positions on reforming global governance and institutions, given its importance in amplifying the continent’s voice in international affairs, and ensuring greater representation and equity in global decision-making bodies. The session further underlined that the AU’s efforts are driven by the need to address historical imbalances and ensure that Africa’s voice is heard on issues critical to its development and future as embraced in Agenda 2063.
The meeting observed and recommended the following: Expressed concern over the continued marginalization of Africa in the global governance and institutions; Underlined the imperative for PAP and PSC to actively advocate for the reform of global institutions to better represent African interests and ensure more equitable global governance; Identified the PAP as a critical institutional actor capable of galvanizing continental momentum and serving as a strategic vehicle to articulate and advocate for Africa’s common position; and Called upon PAP to Join the PSC to advocate for the reform of global institutions, including by advocating for increased representation in bodies such as the UN Security Council in line with the Ezulwini Consenus and Sirte declaration; and the G20, as well as pushing for reform in the global financial architecture based on African common positions.
The Joint Consultative Meeting further emphasized the imperative for PAP’s voice in advocating for favourable credit rating, a comprehensive debt relief, including debt restructuring and cancellation for African countries facing severe debt distress; Stressed the need for stronger African voice for a rule-based, transparent, non-discriminatory, open and inclusive multilateral trading system under the WTO; Emphasized the imperative to strengthen Africa’s engagement in the ongoing reform of the global tax system with a view to reducing Africa’s vulnerability to base erosion and profit shifting by multinational cooperations.
It called for climate justice and equitable burden-sharing in climate action, emphasizing that countries with historical responsibility for greenhouse gas emissions should lead in mitigation efforts and provide financial and technological support to developing nations; in this respect the Joint Meeting called upon PAP to join the PSC and other AU Organs in advocating for a global financing architecture rooted in justice and historical responsibility, particularly highlighting the disproportionate burdens faced by African nations due to climate change; Involve PAP going forward in comprehensive review engagements for strengthening commitments to the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) and the African Governance Architecture (AGA), whose comprehensive review process is underway, upon instruction by the Heads of State at the February 2025 Summit, with the aim of aligning and streamlining all related frameworks.The Joint Consultative Meeting held from 17 to 18 July 2025, in Midrand, South Africa, at the Headquarters of the PAP, was under the theme: “Enhancing Institutional Synergy and Collaboration for Sustainable Peace and Security in Africa”, and was co-chaired by H.E. Chief Fortune Charumbira, President of the Pan-African Parliament and H.E Ambassador Rebecca Amuge Otengo, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Uganda to the AU and Chairperson of the PSC for July 2025.
