Transformation of the Pan-African Parliament

The Pan-African Parliament (PAP), established in 2004, currently operates with only advisory and consultative powers, lacking the capacity to enforce decisions. The document argues that while the PAP Protocol envisions an ultimate transformation into a legislative body with members elected by universal suffrage, this process must be gradual and contingent on addressing severe institutional capacity weaknesses. Drawing comparisons with the European Parliament (EP) and the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), the author suggests a phased approach to transformation focusing on budgetary autonomy, professional staff recruitment, and the establishment of formal oversight mechanisms before granting full legislative powers.

• The Pan-African Parliament (PAP) currently lacks enforcement capacity, as its influence is restricted to advisory and consultative roles, meaning its resolutions and recommendations are not binding on African Union (AU) policy-making organs.
• The PAP suffers from a democratic deficit because its members are nominated by national parliaments rather than directly elected, which compromises the institution's independence and makes members susceptible to recall by their home countries.
• The PAP's institutional capacity is severely limited by a lack of independent financial resources and a lack of control over its own budget, which is currently part of the general AU budget.
• The European Parliament (EP) serves as a model for gradual transformation, having taken 21 years to implement direct elections and 41 years to become a full legislative body, suggesting the PAP should not expect an immediate transition after only five years.
• The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) is the only regional African parliament with significant legislative powers, yet it still faces challenges such as a lack of power to initiate budgets and a tendency to act as a 'rubber stamp' for executive decisions.
• Transformation of the PAP into a legislative body would require a broader systemic overhaul of the AU, including the creation of a complementary executive and judiciary, and amendments to the AU Constitutive Act.
• The author proposes a four-step path to transformation: establishing functional cooperation with other AU organs, gaining budgetary control, developing professional oversight mechanisms, and finally implementing direct elections via universal suffrage.

APA

Mpanyane, S. (2009). Transformation of the Pan-African Parliament. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Paper181.pdf

Chicago

Mpanyane, Saki. Transformation of the Pan-African Parliament. Institute for Security Studies, 2009. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Paper181.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Mpanyane |first1=Saki |title=Transformation of the Pan-African Parliament |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=March 2009 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Paper181.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mpanyane2009transformation, author = {Mpanyane, Saki}, title = {{Transformation of the Pan-African Parliament}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2009}, month = mar, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Paper181.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }