Speaker Mancienne leads a delegation to the 57th plenary assembly of the SADC PF |11 June 2025
The Seychelles delegation: (l to r) Hon. Samynadin, Speaker Mancienne and Clerk Isaac
Speaker Mancienne leads a delegation to the 57th plenary assembly of the SADC PF
Speaker of the National Assembly and former President of the SADC Parliamentary Forum (PF), Hon. Roger Mancienne, recently led a delegation to the 57th Plenary Assembly of SADC PF hosted by the Parliament of Zimbabwe.
Hon. Mancienne was accompanied by Hon. Kelly Samynadin and Clerk of the National Assembly, Tania Isaac. The 57th Plenary Assembly from May 31 to June 7, 2025 was officially opened by the President of Zimbabwe, Emmerson Mnangagwa, and drew over 300 delegates including ICT experts and observers across the SADC region.
Parliamentary delegations were led by Speakers and Presiding Officers from 13 of the 15 member Parliaments including Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Recognising that artificial intelligence has become integral to progress and development in the Africa and SADC region, the Plenary’s theme was ‘Harnessing artificial intelligence (AI) for effective and efficient parliamentary processes in the SADC region: experiences, challenges and opportunities’. Delegates benefitted from expert presentations from representatives of Bindura University of Science Education, Chinhoyi University of Technology, Midlands State University, University of Zimbabwe, and the Harare Institute of Technology.
When delivering his statement on the theme, Speaker Mancienne commended the Parliament of Zimbabwe for choosing AI and for engaging with the tertiary earning institutions in the region to showcase the various AI tools in development.
He informed the Plenary that the National Assembly of Seychelles has also held a symposium on AI, in collaboration with the University of Seychelles, to build the capacity of honourable members and staff on AI literacy.
The primary recommendation derived from the symposium was the need to finalise the development of the Model Law on AI, to provide its reference point for SADC Parliaments in the development or improvement of national AI related legislation.
The Seychelles delegation actively participated in the deliberations of the Plenary by presenting the country report on progress made on the implementation of resolutions adopted at the 56th Plenary Assembly. In a display of support, Hon. Samynadin seconded the motion moved by South Africa on ‘strengthening cybersecurity in the SADC region by creating institutional capacity and viable legal frameworks to respond to the growing cybersecurity threats in the region’.
The next Plenary Assembly is scheduled for November 2025 and is set to be hosted in South Africa.
Text and photos contributed