Background
The Commonwealth Parliamentary is a Parliamentary wing of the Commonwealth of Nations that brings together some 18,000 Commonwealth Parliamentarians from more than 180 Parliaments and Legislatures in 53 Commonwealth Countries in the World.These Legislatures are called CPA Branches, currently grouped geographically into nine Commonwealth Regions for the purpose of representations. The Regions of the CPA are: - Africa, Asia, Australia, British Islands and Mediterranean (BIM), Canada, Caribbean, Americas and Atlantic (CAA), India, Pacific and South East Asia. The Secretariat headquarters of the CPA is located in London, United Kingdom while the Secretariat of the CPA Africa Region is located in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and hosted by the Parliament of Tanzania.
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).
From its establishment in 1980 the Africa Region's headquarters was still 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, Mr. Stephen Kagaigai and to-date, Ms. Nenelwa Mwihambi is its 6th Regional Secretary.