The West African Regional Caucus of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) will undertake an advocacy mission in Dakar from September 28 to October 1, 2026, aimed at accelerating Senegal’s ratification of several African Union instruments.
Led by Regional Caucus Chairperson Lazare Yao Yao, the Pan-African Parliament delegation comprises six members from Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Senegal and Sierra Leone.
The mission will focus primarily on the Revised Protocol to the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community Relating to the Pan-African Parliament, commonly known as the Malabo Protocol, adopted in 2014.
The protocol seeks to strengthen the powers of the PAP, including by granting it legislative authority once it enters into force.
The advocacy effort will also cover the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance; the Protocol on the Free Movement of Persons, the Right of Residence and the Right of Establishment; and instruments relating to the rights of persons with disabilities, the right to a nationality and the eradication of statelessness.
Talks will further address several protocols under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), including those on investment, digital trade, and the participation of women and young people in trade.
According to the mission programme, the delegation will begin its activities on Monday at Senegal’s National Assembly with a meeting involving Senegalese PAP members, followed by talks with the Committee on Foreign Affairs, African Integration and Senegalese Abroad, as well as parliamentary groups.
Meetings are also scheduled with the ministries responsible for Industry and Trade, Family and Solidarity, and Justice, in addition to the National Autonomous Electoral Commission (CENA) and the National Human Rights Commission.
The draft programme also includes meetings with the minister responsible for foreign affairs, the prime minister and the president of the republic, subject to confirmation.
Through the mission, the Pan-African Parliament aims to strengthen cooperation with Senegalese institutions and promote the signature, ratification, domestication and implementation of the relevant instruments.
The initiative forms part of the PAP’s mandate to contribute to the achievement of African Union objectives, particularly in the areas of democratic governance, human rights protection and continental integration.
TE/Sf/lb/as/APA