Hon. members & delegates!
It is indeed a historic and important day for SADCOPAC. On behalf of the SADCOPAC family across 15 member states, I wish to express our profound gratitude and appreciation to AFRODAD for this milestone partnership we have just formalized through the signing of this Memorandum of Understanding.
Hon. members & delegates, the region is facing a debt crisis. Public debt is rising, debt servicing is consuming our national budget, and citizens are asking: Where did the money go? And what did it do for us. As Public Account Committees, we are the frontline of answering that question. But we cannot do it alone. AFRODAD brings unmatched expertise, research, and advocacy on debt justice, transparency, and accountability. SADCOPAC brings the parliamentary mandate to oversee, to question, and to hold the executive accountable.
This MoU, therefore, creates a powerful synergy:
- Evidence meets Oversight
- Research meets Accountability
Through this partnership, we commit to:
- Build the capacity of PACs to effectively oversee public debt and borrowing
- Share information and research on debt transparency and the loan contracting process
To AFRODAD, thank you for trusting SADCOPAC. Thank you for believing that parliaments are central to solving Africa's debt challenges. We do not take this MoU as a ceremonial signature; we take it as a covenant for action.
We pledge to implement it.
Thank you, Siyabonga.
Hon. Alice Nomvula Ponco, Vice Chairperson, Southern Africa Development Community Organisation of Public Accounts Committees (SADCOPAC)