Afrobarometer (AB) and the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) have signed a three-year memorandum of understanding (MOU) that will pave the way for joint initiatives, deeper knowledge exchange, wider data dissemination, and stronger policy advocacy across the continent.
PAP President Hon. Chief Fortune Charumbira and AB surveys director Boniface Dulani signed the agreement on the sidelines of the PAP’s 5th Ordinary Session of the Sixth Parliament in Midrand, South Africa.
AB is a pan-African, non-partisan survey research network that provides reliable data on African experiences and evaluations of democracy, governance, and quality of life. A wide range of stakeholders routinely use Afrobarometer data in policy planning, programme development and implementation, and monitoring and evaluation.
The PAP is a legislative organ of the African Union mandated to ensure the full participation of African people in the economic development and integration of the continent, and to promote democratic principles and good governance.
AB and the PAP share common values and objectives with respect to the promotion of democratic governance, citizen engagement, evidence-based policy making, and the realisation of the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
The newly signed MOU establishes a cooperative framework that will facilitate the dissemination and utilisation of AB data by PAP committees and members; support evidence-based oversight of and legislative work on democracy, governance, and human rights; enable joint forums, policy dialogues, and capacity-building initiatives on governance and public opinion; and enhance citizen engagement and participatory governance in Africa.
“It is not every day that we have the privilege of welcoming into our institutional family an organisation that is, quite literally, taking the pulse of the continent. Today’s signing ceremony is the meeting of representation and research, of mandate and measurement, of citizen voice and institutional action,” said Hon. Charumbira.
“By formalising this partnership between the Pan-African Parliament and Afrobarometer, we are setting a new standard that says, “We will not legislate in the dark, we will not oversee in silence, and we will not guess what our people think – we will know.” As we chart the course of a revitalised Pan-African Parliament, we are guided by one clear compass: the voices, priorities, and aspirations of African citizens.”
“This MOU comes at a pivotal time in our institutional journey, when we are not only asserting our place within the African Union governance ecosystem, but reaffirming our commitment to accountability, legitimacy, and evidence-based policy making. Afrobarometer brings exactly what we need: data, analysis, and insight into the lived realities of Africans. These are the building blocks of good governance, and no serious legislature can afford to ignore them,” he concluded.
“Afrobarometer seeks to project the voices of Africans to inform public policy across the continent,” Dulani added. “I believe that Afrobarometer and the Pan-African Parliament can work together synergistically, because the Pan-African Parliament is a house that seeks to represent the views of ordinary citizens on this continent through its honourable members.”