|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Speaker of Parliament of Zimbabwe, Advocate J.F.N Mudenda, arrived in Livingstone, Zambia, on 7th December 2024, to participate in the 56th Plenary Assembly Session of the Southern Africa Development Community Parliamentary Forum (SADC-PF), taking place from 8th to 15th December 2024.
Themed “Leveraging Technology and Innovation for Smart, Inclusive and Responsive Parliaments in the SADC Region,” the session aims to foster regional dialogue on modernizing Parliamentary processes through the application of digital technologies, especially Artificial Intelligence(AI). Speaker Mudenda was received by Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to Zambia, Her Excellency, Charity Charamba.
The theme is apt as the Parliament of Zimbabwe is poised to lead legislative innovation in the SADC region by integrating the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in its parliamentary processes as given impetus by Speaker Mudenda, a major proponent of the AI application in Parliamentary business. This forward-thinking approach, including the proposed “ Digital Technologies Committee of the Future”, is meant to position the Parliament of Zimbabwe as a trailblazer in modern digital governance thereby aligning with best global practices.
The initiative underscores a commitment towards inclusivity, transparency, and responsiveness, ensuring that the tripartite Parliamentary roles of oversight, representation, and legislation serve the evolving socio-economic needs of its citizenry in the 21st century. The regional indaba thus aims to chart a pathway for leveraging digital technology to build smart, inclusive, democratic, and responsive Parliaments in the region.
Advocate Mudenda’s attendance is particularly poignant as he was recently nominated by the Executive Committee of the SADC PF (EXCO) to serve as an institutional memory member per Article 12(3) of the SADC PF Constitution, highlighting his crucial role in providing continuity and strategic guidance in the operations of the SADC Parliamentary Forum, more so as it transforms into a Regional SADC Parliament.
During this Assembly meeting, Speaker Mudenda, who also Chairs the Strategic Lobby Group of Speakers on Transformation of the SADC PF into a Regional Parliament will deliver a tribute to Hon. Professor Peter H. Katjavivi, Speaker of the National Assembly of Namibia, on the occasion of his imminent retirement as the Namibian Speaker of Parliament. The tribute is part of the SADC Parliamentary Forum’s Legacy Project to celebrate Prof. Katjavivi’s extraordinary service as a regional Parliamentarian champion of Inter-Parliamentary Union cooperation and the Host Speaker of the SADC PF Headquarters. Prof. Katjavivi, who retires in March 2025, is lauded for his pivotal contributions towards regional integration, democracy, and diplomacy in Southern Africa and beyond.
Most notably, Advocate Mudenda will also deliver the Vote of Thanks during the Official Opening Ceremony, which will feature an address by the Guest of Honour, His Excellency President Hakainde Hichilema, of the Republic of Zambia. Zimbabwe, which is set to host the 57th SADC PF Plenary Assembly by rotation, in June/ July 2025, is represented by a high-profile delegation of Members Parliament which includes Hon. Maybe Mbohwa, incoming Member of the Executive Committee of the SADC PF, Hon. Chinhenza Chigwajara (Chief Matsiwo), Hon. Tendai Nyabani, Hon. Lynette Karenyi and Hon. Mercy Mugomo.
Parliament of Zimbabwe’s representation at the 56th Plenary Assembly meetings of the SADC PF underscores the nation’s critical role in advancing regional integration, fostering innovation in governance, and championing the Transformation of the SADC Parliamentary Forum into a Regional Parliament. This is further reinforced by Zimbabwe’s critical position in the region, with His Excellency, President Dr. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa serving as the Chairman of the SADC Summit. Through His Excellency’s visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to regional collaboration, Zimbabwe continues to shape the future of democratic and inclusive governance in Southern Africa.
