The Pan African Parliament (PAP) is so cash-strapped that it might have to cancel another session scheduled for later this year, says financial affairs committee chairperson Wycliff Oparanya, who slammed countries for not paying their contributions to the African Union.
”There are countries with the capacity to pay their dues to the AU, but are not doing so because the PAP is not moving in the direction they would like,” he told the media at the end of a truncated session in Midrand. ”Libya and Egypt both made unsuccessful bids to host the PAP and Algeria supported Egypt. When they lost, their enthusiasm for the PAP waned. African leaders are good at coming up with good ideas, but lack the follow-up.”
The PAP was $5-million short on its budget last year and looks like being $6,1million short this year.
”We budgeted for $24million this year,” said Oparanya, a Kenyan MP. ”Half of this will come from member states, paying the travel expenses and per diems for their five MPs. The other half is supposed to be paid by the African Commission. But so far, only $5,1million has been forthcoming.
”I went to AU headquarters in Addis Ababa to ask about the shortfall. The Permanent Representatives Council [African ambassadors accredited to the AU] told me they did not have the money.
”At least 15 countries are under sanction. This means they have not paid their dues for three or more years. They attend AU meetings as observers.
”Their representatives may not speak or vote and their nationals may not be employed by the AU. The agreement is that the so called Big Five — South Africa, Nigeria, Libya, Algeria and Egypt — pay 75% of the budget. But this year, South Africa is the only one to have paid,” said Oparanya.
”We have cut our programmes. Our session was scheduled to last for 20 days but has been cut to 10. Our committees, supposed to meet four times a year, are meeting once or not at all. The secretariat staff, supposed to number 90, has been limited to 22.
”But if we do not get the funds, we will not be able to hold the session scheduled for October this year. Some of our donor partners have been present here and they are our only hope,” said a dejected Oparanya.
South Africa is proposing a radical change to AU budgeting. They want the voluntary contributions provision scrapped. Currently the member states are assessed for the size of the contributions they can make to the operating budget, set at $70million this year. Contributions to the $90million development budget are voluntary.