The CPA Africa Region is divided into four sub-regions as follows:-

(a)Central Africa (National Branches - 4)
Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia.

(b)East Africa (National Branches – 6 and 1 Sub National Branch)
Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Tanzania and Uganda as well as one Sub National Branch of Zanzibar.

(c)Southern Africa (National Branches – 4 and 9 Sub national Branches)
Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland and 9 provincial legislatures from South Africa (Sub-national branches).

(d)West Africa (National Branches - National Branches 4 and 34 Sub National Branches):
Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria and Sierra Leone and 34 state legislatures (sub-national branches) from Nigeria, hence it’s the largest sub-region.

From its establishment in 1980 the Association’s headquarters was in Harare, Zimbabwe until when Zimbabwe lost its membership to CHOGM in the year 2003 and automatically losing its membership to the CPA in its entirety. Accordingly, the Region decided to move the Secretariat to the Parliament of Tanzania.

During the 35th Regional Conference held in August 2004 in Swaziland, the Annual General Meeting decided to accept the offer from the National Assembly of Tanzania to be the host of the Regional Secretariat.

Furthermore, the meeting appointed the then Clerk of the National Assembly of Tanzania, Judge Kipenka Msemembo Mussa as Regional Secretary and The National Assembly of Tanzania, as its headquarters. He became the 2nd Regional Secretary followed by Mr. Damian L. Foka, Dr. Thomas D. Kashililah and to-date, Mr. Stephen Kagaigai is its 5th Regional Secretary.

Currently the Association has a total of 180 branches from nine (9) regions spread across the globe as follows: - Africa, Asia, Australia (national and Territorial Parliaments), British Islands and Mediterranean, Canada (national and state Parliaments), The Caribbean, Americas and Atlantic, India, Pacific; and South-East Asia (Malaysia and Singapore).

All former British Parliaments are eligible members of the CPA, however; a Parliament can only be admitted to the Association only if: -
(a) Its country is a member of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM);
(b) Its Parliament passes a resolution to join the Association; and
(c)Submits a request to the General Assembly.

The CPA Africa Region is the largest amongst the 9 regions of the Association. It was established in 1980 with headquarters in Harare, the Parliament of Zimbabwe, where by the Clerk of that Parliament, Mr. Austin Zvoma became the first Regional Secretary. The Region has a total membership of 18 National Branches (National Parliaments) and 44 State/Provincial Parliaments (sub-national branches).

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) was originally established in 1911 as Empire Association with the Parliament of the United Kingdom as its key member. Other member Parliaments were Australia, Canada, Newfoundland, New Zealand and that of the Apartheid South Africa. By the year 1948, a number of British colonies had gained their independence and joined the Association. The emergence of these new members led to a change in the objectives and structure of the Association, which eventually culminated in the change of the Association’s name to Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), as we know it today.