Parliament, Wednesday, 21 May 2025 – The National Council of Provinces (NCOP) will hold a public lecture on Thursday, 22 May 2025, to commemorate Africa Day. The theme for this year’s lecture is “Pioneering Africa’s Inclusive Economic Growth Through the Africa Continental Free Trade Area Agreement: Optimising Our Levers for Building the Africa We Want”.
The President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Tanzania’s National Assembly, Dr Tulia Ackson, will be one of key contributors to the lecture and is expected to address the house on multilateralism and parliamentary diplomacy. She will also reflect on strengthening partnerships and expanding dialogue with a wide range of actors, including states, international organisations and civil society, to shape the issues requiring collective cooperation the G20 and P20 Speakers’ Summit.
Also scheduled to address the lecture is the CEO of the African Peer Review Mechanism, Professor Eddy Maloka, who is expected to give context to the significance of South Africa’s G20 Presidency in 2025 and the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA). He will also discuss the opportunities inherent in the free trade agreement for African countries to boost growth, reduce poverty and broaden economic inclusion.
The 2025 Africa Day Lecture marks the launch of nationwide sectoral build-up activities for P20. In line with South Africa’s G20 Presidency commitments, the lecture aims to strengthen partnerships and expand dialogue with various stakeholders, including states, international organisations and civil society to collectively shape the G20’s approach to issues that require cooperation.
Its objectives include ensuring that all sectors of society participate in sector-specific discussions aimed at accelerating the implementation of South Africa’s key development priorities. It also aims to:
- Bring into sharp focus South Africa’s long-term development goals and priorities as articulated in national and multilateral platforms,
- Deepening governance coherence and collaboration to expedite the achievement of both South Africa’s and Africa’s development goals, particularly those of the developing nations in the global south,
- Enabling strategic multisectoral social compacts across all sectors to facilitate policy implementation.
The P20 initiative was designed to streamline the legislative and oversight functions of the G20 national parliaments. These parliaments play a vital role in incorporating a parliamentary perspective into global governance, raising awareness, building political support for international commitments, and ensuring effective implementation at the national level.
DETAILS OF THE HYBRID SITTING ARE AS FOLLOWS:
Date: 22 May 2025
Time: 14:00
Venue: NCOP Chamber and virtual platforms
Parliamentary sittings are open to the media and the public. All media personnel wishing to cover the lecture may contact Mr. Manelisi Ntsodo, by e-mail mntsodo@parliament.gov.za or phone 081 716 2021, for space allocation not later than 10:00 on Thursday. Members of the public can follow parliamentary sittings live on Parliament TV (DSTV Channel 408), through a live stream on Parliament’s website, Parliament’s YouTube channel, and X (Twitter) page on the links below:
X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/ParliamentofRSA
Facebook: https://facebook.com/ParliamentofRSA
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/ParliamentofRSA
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
Enquiries: Moloto Mothapo
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