"Renewal of Pan-Africanism and Africa's Role in the Reform of Multilateral Institutions: Mobilizing Resources and Reinventing Itself for Action
The march of history is that of the progressive consciousness of freedom and it is in the name of the ideals of emancipation, equal human dignity and human development that the first Pan-African Congress was organized in February 1919 in Paris, after the first Pan-African Conference in London in 1900.
The Pan-African Congresses are events that have played an important role in the struggle for the emancipation and unity of the African peoples.
The first Pan-African Congress was organized in 1919 in Paris by African and Afro-descendant intellectuals of the diaspora, such as W.E.B. Du Bois, Marcus Garvey and C.L.R. James.
The Congress aimed to promote unity and solidarity among African and diaspora peoples, to denounce colonization and economic exploitation of Africa, and to demand an end to racial discrimination. Several Pan-African Congresses were subsequently held, including in 1921 in London, in 1923 in London and Lisbon, in 1927 in New York and in 1945 in Manchester.
These congresses contributed to the emergence of the pan-African movement and inspired national liberation movements in Africa, such as the African National Congress in South Africa and the Algerian National Liberation Movement.
More recently, the African Union has organized a series of Pan-African Congresses since the 1990s, with the aim of promoting cooperation and economic, political and social integration among African states.
The dynamics continued and seven (07) other Pan-African Congresses were held thereafter always by Africans of the Diaspora and Africa.
In order to ensure the historical continuity of this movement, but also to rekindle the flame of Pan-Africanism in the current context where Africa is struggling to make its voice truly heard on the world stage, the Togolese Republic and the African Union are co-organizing, in Lomé in 2024, in accordance with Decision Assembly/AU/Dec.22(XXXVI) of the 36th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union, held on 18 and 19 February 2023 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the 9th Pan-African Congress on the theme :“Renewing Pan-Africanism and Africa’s Role in the Reform of Multilateral Institutions: Mobilizing Resources and Reinventing Ourselves for Action”..
This edition of the Congress, which is part of the Agenda of the “Decade 2021-2031: African roots and the African Diaspora of the African Union and its action plan carried by the High Committee chaired by Togo will be a privileged opportunity for Africans living on the continent, the Diaspora and Afro-descendants to meet, exchange and take highly relevant resolutions aimed at supporting the continental development process and the collective efforts of our States to improve Africa’s participation and representativeness in global governance as well as its active participation in the indispensable reforms of international institutions.
It is imperative to see in this 9thPan-African Congress of Lomé 2024 an important opportunity for Africans to discuss the challenges they face and find innovative solutions to free themselves from dependencies and initiate the development of Africa.
