Seychelles, Mozambique to boost parliamentary ties |24 July 2013

 
This followed a meeting held in Maputo last week between the Speaker of the National Assembly of Seychelles, Dr Patrick Herminie and his counterpart Speaker Veronica Nataniel Macamo Dlovo.

Speaker Herminie was in Mozambique on the invitation of the First Lady of the country, Dr Maria da Luz Dai Guebuza, to address a conference on the role of Speakers of Parliaments in the fight against cervical cancer, a growing public health issue in Africa.

In the meeting with Speaker Macamo Dlovo, both sides agreed that the purpose of such a memorandum would be to mainly share experience and best practices on parliamentary working methods and practices, build institutional capacity and promote collaboration between the two institutions.

Both Speakers observed that their respective democracy is emerging and that they share similar challenges.
The memorandum will be signed in October, when, for the first time ever, the National Assembly of Mozambique will take part in the Conference for Speakers and Presiding Officers of Commonwealth Countries. Mozambique is the only African Commonwealth country which was not a British colony.

In the conference itself, Speaker Herminie called on the world community to shift its paradigm in the fight against cervical cancer.

He noted that this public health problem is a direct result of poverty, family breakdown, early initiation of sex, poor sexual education, unavailability of basic health services and low-class excesses.

He expanded on the need for greater political commitment by politicians including parliamentarians in the fight against the crippling poverty that affects many parts of Africa as the first condition to contain this public health affliction.

The conference, which was attended by many Speakers of Parliaments and First Ladies in Africa as well as medical experts, was held in Maputo from July 21-23 and was officially opened by the President of the Republic of Mozambique and Africa’s Goodwill Ambassador for Women and Children’s Health, Armando Emilio Guebuza.