3. What plans does the Minister have to build on the success of the Welsh Government's Wales for Africa programme? OAQ53727

I am delighted that Wales for Africa is within my portfolio and that so many people are actively engaged in making Wales and the world a better place. The programme will form a key component of the international strategy consultation. I'm considering a response to the international strategy from the voluntary sector on how we can drive forward with this aspect of the Welsh Government's work.

Thanks for that response, Minister. I very much agree, and I think there's widespread agreement across the Chamber that this is a very worthwhile programme that delivers great benefits for sub-Saharan Africa and, indeed, for Wales. One important aspect of it is the community-to-community links. I think we have a very impressive number of those in Wales, but obviously they could be added to, Minister, and the existing ones could be deepened and strengthened. So, given the importance of opening up Wales to the world and the world to Wales, and the significant part that these links play within that ambition, will you look at improving the availability of resources, of funding, to build the number of links and, as I said, strengthen and deepen those that currently exist?

Well, it's clear that the most successful strategies have been ones where actually it is about community to community, and this is a great example where actually people are just getting on with it, I think. PONT is a great example of that; some of the work that's done in Lesotho really demonstrates how building those communities and people-to-people relationships really gives a depth to the Wales for Africa programme.

One of the things that we need to do is to just have much greater clarity on who is doing what, where, so I've already commissioned a piece of work to see how we map that, so that we're all aware of what's going on before we start. You're absolutely right—resources are always going to be an issue here, but what's clear is, with the very small resources we are giving to this, they are having a major impact. But we can also be creative in some of the other ways that we help. So, the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs, for example, recently donated a fisheries protection vessel to the Government of Liberia. It's a real issue there—how do people protect their fishing stocks—and I think that was a great contribution we can give. It wasn't money, but it was a boat, and we did that with the World Bank and with other organisations. I think we can be really proud of some of the work we're doing.

The Deputy Presiding Officer (Ann Jones) took the Chair.

I think I'm fast becoming my party's Africa champion, Minister. I seem to always be asking you about Africa or Love Zimbabwe in my questions to you. Can I concur with the comments that John Griffiths has just made? As you know, I do have links with the Love Zimbabwe charity, which has strong links with the town of Abergavenny. As I told you last week, Martha Holman, one of the volunteers, has her British citizenship ceremony tomorrow, actually, in Usk. So, I'm sure you'd like to join me in extending good wishes to her.

We know the difficulties that Zimbabwe is currently experiencing, and also the wider southern African area following the recent storm Idai. This Assembly, as you said, has a reputation for its links with Africa, dating back to the first Assembly, when we established those links with Lesotho. Will you and the Presiding Officer and Deputy Presiding Officer ensure that the importance of those links between the people of Wales and the people of Africa are centre stage at this year's—next month's—celebration of the 20 years of devolution, which I know is going to be happening here and elsewhere, to make sure that, in the future, links between Wales and Africa are cemented, because I think that our support for the people of Africa is very much appreciated?

Thank you. I think that's an excellent idea, and it's one I hope that the Deputy Presiding Officer will pass on—that message that perhaps it would be a good thing to celebrate the Wales-Africa links in those celebrations of 20 years of devolution.

I would love to welcome Martha as a citizen of Wales. We are delighted to have her. If everybody made the kind of contribution that she's made to her community we'd be much better off as a nation. We are really thrilled to have her, and anyone who can pass those citizenship tests really deserves to be a member of our nation. They really are quite tough. So, welcome to her, to be a Welsh Zimbabwean. We're very proud to have her.

I think it is also essential to request that the people of Wales stand in solidarity at this time with the people in southern Africa who are affected by cyclone Idai. It's been a colossal and damaging effect on the economy, on lives, on the communities there, and if anyone could contribute, that's certainly something that we would encourage them to do.

Minister, I'm very glad that you mention PONT and the work done by people in my constituency, particularly people such as Dr Geoff Lloyd, who has done so much on health in places like Uganda. And I wonder if you're aware of the proposal emerging from those who are involved in the Wales for Africa Health Links network, which suggests that Wales could adopt 3 million people in sub-Saharan Africa and provide universal health coverage for them through the existing network. Now, this is a really exciting proposal, not only using the existing network and existing resources and so on, but it would extend the actual coverage of the programme and would be a real tribute to the anniversary of the Wales for Africa programme. 

Thank you. I think the work that PONT has done over the years is really quite phenomenal and so many people have been engaged with it from the bottom up. I'm aware of the work and the suggestions that have been made in terms of that link and the possibility of seeing how much further we can push the health links in particular. I've had a meeting with the deputy health Minister today to see whether there is any scope for us to push this further. So, we need to think and to scope out if there are any possibilities. In principle, I'd love to see that develop a bit further. Of course, we're under severe financial constraints at the moment, but if there is a possibility, in particular within the health sector, then I would like to see how we can explore those further.