Luanda — The Speaker of the National Assembly (AN), Carolina Cerqueira, said Tuesday in Luanda that the time has come to create, in good time and at low cost, a more competitive common energy market capable of boosting industrialization in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 55th Plenary Assembly of the SADC Parliamentary Forum, Carolina Cerqueira said the involvement of parliamentarians in promoting the legal and regulatory framework to encourage the use of renewable energies is indispensable for overcoming the targets set in this area.
"At a time of energy transition and defense of the planet, the state of underdevelopment and inefficiency of the renewable energy market in our region should awaken us, as parliamentarians, to the opportunities to intervene as a priority in this matter," the Angolan politician said.
According to Carolina Cerqueira, if the objectives are to be achieved, parliamentarians cannot be limited in defining the legislative and regulatory framework.
"We have to monitor and supervise, with particular attention to the implementation of other political actions relating to the promotion of investment, the allocation of financial and educational resources, dissemination and public debates and cooperation between states and their services," Cerqueira said.
The Angolan parliament Speaker highlighted the need for parliamentary action to become one of the main references for stability and sustainable development in the southern African region.
Carolina Cerquaeira said that in order to achieve SADC's main objectives, the paradigm of lasting peace and sustainable development must be energized, based on active cooperation between all member countries, having recognized that the regional context still faces challenges in terms of political, economic and social stability.
The parliamentarian also made references to fragile social, political and military harmony, corruption, weak political structures and little involvement of civil societies, gender discrimination, and asymmetries between cities, poor infrastructure and a lack of specialized staff.
Regarding the Strategic Plan of the SADC Parliamentary Forum for the period 2024-2028, launched on Monday in the Angolan capital, Cerqueira said it is a new way "for us to be able to overcome the main obstacles that we have been facing over the last five years".
"The 2024-2028 strategic plan allows us to look more precisely at future actions, which represents not only the renewal of our individual and collective aspirations, but also of the goals we want to achieve, above all the strengthening of the basic role of parliaments and their commitment to the promotion and preservation of peace, security and regional political and economic stability," Cerqueira said.
Through this plan, Cerqueira said, it will be possible to establish a firm commitment to the institutionalization of strong and resilient parliaments, capable of promoting dialogue and understanding in situations of crisis and threats to democracy and the democratic rule of law, in the current geopolitical, regional and global context.
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Established in September 1997, the SADC Parliamentary Forum based in Windhoek, Namibia, provides a platform for dialogue between the parliaments of the 15 SADC member states on issues of regional interest and concern.
It integrates more than 3,500 parliamentarians from Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Seychelles, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. DC/VIC/AMP
