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Kabula County Member of Parliament, Hon Asiimwe Enos Kinywamachunda, has been elected as the Treasurer of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (Africa Region) for a three-year term.
Asiimwe who is also the Chairperson of the Uganda Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Uganda Branch and leader of the Ugandan delegation has been elected at the 53rd CPA (Africa Region) Annual Regional Conference at Gran Melia Hotel in Arusha, Tanzania.
The Conference happening between 29th September to 07th October 2024 is under the theme “African Parliaments at the forefront of addressing existential global challenges: Food insecurity, Climate change, Youth employment”.
Hon. Asiimwe who will be Treasurer upto 2027 takes over from South Africa’s Gauteng Speaker Ms Lentheng Helen Ntombi Mekgwe who has been serving as Treasurer from 2021 to 2024.
Hon. Asiimwe’s election to the continental executive of CPA has been hailed as a great success by the Treasurer of CPA (Uganda branch) also Busujju County Member of Parliament David Lukyamuzi Kalwanga who is part of the delegation.
“Hon. Asiimwe’s election is a befitting recognition of his good leadership traits in the CPA Uganda Branch and his commitment to finding solutions to global challenges. It affirms and encourages the exemplary performance of many Ugandan representatives in international legislative bodies”.
Reflecting on his election as Treasurer of the CPA-African Region at its 53rd conference, Hon. Asiimwe expressed his gratitude for the confidence and trust placed on him by the continental body of Parliamentarians.
He expressed hope that the resolutions that will be adopted at this 53rd Conference of the CPA-African Region will be progressively and successfully implemented by all national and sub-national legislatures.
While officially opening the Conference, in her speech read by her Vice Dr Philip Isdor Mpango, the President of the United Republic of Tanzania Samia Suluhu Hassan emphasised the need for national assemblies in Africa to prioritize agriculture in their central budgetary estimates to address food insecurity on the continent.
“Our countries need to start prioritizing farming, especially now, at a time when climate change is taking a toll on food production due to unpredictable weather and rain seasons,” she stated.
The conference, featuring nearly 300 participants, has three side events involving conference workshops, executive committee meetings and the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) Africa regional conference.
The conference brings together delegates from 14 out of the 19 CPA member parliaments, 10 speakers of national assemblies and three deputy speakers, with Tanzania hosting the CPA Africa regional secretariat since 2003.
CPA member parliaments is one of its oldest organs, where in Africa it consists of 19 national legislatures and 46 provincial versions, with CPA being officially accredited as an associated Commonwealth organisation.
The other members of the delegation include Kasambya county Member of Parliament Hon. David Kabanda and Kamuli Municipality Mp Hon. Baroda Kayanga Watongola who is also the Vice Chairperson of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians network (Africa Region).