Gambia will host the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association’s Africa Regional Conference in 2025

The Gambia has been selected to host the forthcoming next Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Africa Regional Conference to be held in Banjul next year 2025.

Set to be the 54^th CPA Africa Region Conference, the Gambia event is going to be the follow-up to the recently concluded 53^rd Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Meeting which took place in Arusha, Tanzania.

The ensuing CPA conference slated for The Gambia whose specific dates are yet to be announced, will be preceded by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Executive Committee Meeting also to be convened in 2025 but this time in Seychelles.

The CPA Executive Committee consists of 36 Members of Parliament, led by the Acting Chairperson of the CPA.

The Executive Committee comprises the Officers of the Association and Regional Representatives from each of the nine CPA Regions.

On the other hand the Speaker of the Gambia National Assembly, Fabakary Jatta was named new CPA Chairperson during the closing session of the 53^rd CPA Africa Regional Conference held in the Northern Tanzanian City and officially opened by the country’s Vice President, Dr Philip Mpango.

The Vice Chairperson post was taken by Abdul Suleiman of Sierra Leone while Enos Asiimwe from Uganda was elected the new Treasurer of the CPA Africa Region.

It should be noted that Tanzania previously hosted another CPA Regional Conference which took place in Zanzibar, in 2019.

The just ended 53rd CPA Africa Regional Conference brought to Arusha delegates from 14 out of the 19 CPA member parliaments, 10 speakers of National Assemblies and three Deputy Speakers.

In total, the African CPA Regional Conference has attracted more than 280 participants.

Since the year 2003, Tanzania has been hosting the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association’s Africa Regional Secretariat at the National Assembly premises in Dodoma.

Previously the CPA was headquartered in Zimbabwe before the country was thrown out of the fold.

Founded in 1911 the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) is one of the oldest established Commonwealth organizations.

In Africa it consists of 19 National Assemblies and 46 Provincial or County Parliaments.

The CPA is an officially Accredited and Associated Commonwealth organization.

Speaking in Arusha, a Legislator from Gauteng, South Africa, Linda Mwale said he was glad that when attending international events overseas, African parliaments identify themselves as a continental block, symbolizing unity unlike in the past when each country was on its own.