*Johannesburg erupts in applause as Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings makes history in the Pan African Parliament chamber* The gavel had barely fallen before the room broke into a sustained ovation. By 131 to 51, Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings has secured the role of 2nd Deputy President of the Pan African Parliament, becoming the first woman from the West African Caucus to hold the position since the institution was established in 2004. The 2nd Deputy President functions as the equivalent of a 2nd Deputy Speaker. In practice, that puts Dr. Agyeman-Rawlings on the Parliament’s presiding bureau alongside the President and two other deputies. She will help set the legislative agenda, chair sessions when the President is absent, and oversee committee coordination across the 55 African Union member states represented in Midrand, Johannesburg. The position carries weight in shaping policy debates on trade, peace and security, and regional integration. For decades, the West African bloc h