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SPEAKERS AND PRESIDING OFFICERS OF AFRICAN PARLIAMENTS OF THE COMMONWEALTH GATHER IN CAPE TOWN
About 50 Speakers and Presiding Officers as well as parliamentary observers, staff and MPs of Parliaments from Commonwealth countries in Africa have arrived in Cape Town for a three - day Conference hosted by South Africa's Parliament which start tomorrow (18 April 2001).
These countries include Botswana, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The Conference starts at 10h00 a.m. tomorrow (Wednesday). Issues to be discussed during tomorrow's session include the role and functions of Parliaments in Africa today, the role of Speakers and presiding officers in and outside Parliament and in the administration of Parliament.
On Thursday, the conference will start at 09h30 and discussions will centre around poverty alleviation in the context of the debt burden and the spread of disease in Africa, globalisation and technological change - a challenge to Africa and the role of Parliament in the strengthening of regional and sub - regional unity with particular reference to the establishment of a Pan - African Parliament and an African Union.
On Friday participants in the conference will discuss the extent to which political parties represented in Parliament may shape/influence the workings of Parliament and the involvement of Parliament in the international decision making process.
The sessions will be open to the media and will be broadcast live on DSTV. More details on the proceedings and discussions of the conference will be published on the parliamentary website: www.parliament.gov.za/ncop
For further details, please contact: Luphumzo Kebeni at 0836583338, (021) 4032242, Adrian Louw at 0833216840, (021) 4032465, Cleo Mosana at (021) 4033217
Issued by SA Parliament
17 April 2001