The basic functions of parliament include representing society in the corridors of power, making laws, and exercising oversight over the executive. Some parliaments sometimes serve as electoral colleges to put governments in power, and some other parliaments have a role in the removal of the executive through impeachment, votes of non-confidence or censure motions. Some parliaments also serve as incubators of national unity , especially where there are sharp differences , such as ethnic, religious, linguistic, economic or geographic differences. Parliaments perform these functions in different ways and that is why there is a need to exchange experiences and best practices through regular contacts. This type of keeping contact on a regular basis is what has come to be called “networking”.

Through this website, we would like to introduce a parliamentary network that has been in existence now since 1999. APNAC is a non-partisan network of African parliamentarians whose members are united by their dedication to strengthen the institution of parliament for the fight against corruption. APNAC was formed in Kampala, Uganda in 1999 by 30 parliamentarians from 10 African parliaments: Benin, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe. They were there to attend a seminar on “Parliament and Good Governance: Towards a New Agenda for Controlling Corruption in Africa”. The workshop was organized by the Parliamentary Centre of Ottawa, Canada in collaboration with the Parliament of Uganda and facilitated by the World Bank. Participants acknowledged the great value of African parliamentarians coming together to share information, experience and lessons learned in strengthening parliament in the fight against corruption. Accordingly, they established the African Parliamentarians ’ Network Against Corruption (APNAC).

APNAC has an Executive Council of 10 members who are elected for a period of two years. The headquarters of APNAC is in Nairobi, Kenya. As at present, APNAC has national chapters in the parliaments of the following countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The goal of APNAC is to have chapters in each and every country of Sub-Saharan Africa.

The lesson that can be learned from APNAC is that other networks are possible. It is possible to form a network involving specific committees of parliament or on a specific function of parliament. In the Parliament of Uganda , for example, there is a caucus on food security and another one of Young Parliamentarians. It is possible to form networks along these lines or on any other matter of interest to parliamentarians. We would therefore urge parliamentarians to join APNAC and also to form other networks.

Let us use APNAC effectively to enrich ourselves intellectually by exchanging experiences, information and news about what each of us is doing. See autobiography of Hon Ruzindana