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From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
President Muhammadu Buhari has said Africa’s post-COVID-I9 recovery requires collaborative efforts of different countries in the continent.
He stated this while declaring open the first summit of the Conference of Speakers and Heads of African Parliaments(CoSAP), in Abuja, yesterday. The theme is “Enhancing African post COVID-I9 economic recovery through parliamentary leadership.”
He said: “If there has ever been a time when strong parliamentary leadership is needed most , it is now. And I think this is so because of the COVID-19 pandemic and its widespread effects on economy across the world, destabilising health systems, value supply chain, disrupting industries and above all several lives have been lost.”
Represented by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Buhari lauded heads of parliament in the continent for organising the summit even as he decried the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on African countries.
He said the pandemic had pushed millions of people into no extreme poverty, saying though African countries succeeded in curtailing the spread of the virus, there was need for strong parliamentary leadership to enable the continent navigate through the challenges caused by the pandemic.
“African countries have faired better than some other continents of the world. But we are not spared from the scaring effects of the pandemic…The post COVID-I9 recovery strategy for Africa must go beyond the individual efforts that we have made in our countries. There is need for increased collaboration and integration of efforts to drive sustainable development growth and recoveries across the African continent. Our parliaments have a central rile to play. It is to them that the power to enact laws, to oversee government budget and international borrowing belong.”
