On Saturday, January 25, 2025, the draft bill on International Cooperation was reviewed by the Committee within the Parliament of the State of the African Diaspora (SOAD). The text had been drafted under the authority of the Minister of International Cooperation, Ms. Penny Mkhize, and then transmitted by the Prime Minister, Dr. Louis-Georges Tin, to the President of Parliament, Melvin Brown, and forwarded to the committee members, as stipulated in Articles 22 to 29 of the Constitution of SOAD.
The preamble of the draft bill highlights Africa’s long history of international cooperation, from ancient trade routes and cultural exchanges to the collaborative efforts during the colonial and post-colonial eras. It emphasizes the strong international connections established by Africans, tracing the origins of cooperation from the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Carthage, Mali, Zimbabwe and others, through to the impacts of colonialism, the Pan-African movements, and post-colonial solidarity. The document also reflects on significant milestones, such as the creation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and recent developments like the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), but connections between Africa and its diaspora are not strong enough, and this is why there was a need to create the State of the African Diaspora.
In the body of the bill, Part I is about Definitions and Principles ; art II explains the Objectives of the Ministry ; part III deals with the organisational structure of the Ministry ; part IV gives guidelines for Cooperation Agreements, and the last articles of the bill cover more specific fields such as economic cooperation, health, education, cultural exchange, and human rights, reinforcing SOAD’s commitment to global progress and justice.
Overall, the committee discussed the bill and proposed specific amendments that could clarify or enrich the text’s scope. Additionally, during the plenary session, the SOAD Parliament will have the opportunity to review and, if necessary, incorporate any amendments that the Pan-African Parliament may propose, in line with the cooperation agreement signed on November 15, 2024. This agreement stipulates that both parliaments will establish legislative cooperation, which is why the bill has been sent to Chief Charumbira, the President of the Pan-African Parliament, who may forward it to his own MPs. The historic cooperation agreement between the State of the African Diaspora and the Pan-African Parliament is therefore being implemented.
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