Togo’s president has exhorted delegates to a continental congress in Lome to renew the cause of Pan-African renewal.
The Togolese capital has been hosting the 9th Pan-African Congress since Monday, December 8, 2025.
The congress theme is: “Renewal of Pan-Africanism and Africa’s Role in Reforming Multilateral Institutions: Mobilizing Resources and Reinventing Ourselves to Act.”
The opening ceremony presided over by Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé brought together prominent figures from the continent and the diaspora, including the Vice President of Colombia, Francia Márquez, the guest country of honour at this year’s event.
Organised within the framework of the 2021-2031 Decade of African Roots and the African Diaspora, the congress is part of a broader effort to strengthen the continent’s representation in global governance and to highlight the contributions of people of African descent. I
President Faure Gnassingbé emphasised Africa’s new place on the international stage. “Africa is
no longer peripheral. It is no longer silent. It is young, strong, open to the world, and determined to no longer be shaped by others,” he said, adding, “This 9th congress is therefore not a commemoration. It is a reaffirmation. It is a reconquest. It is a turning point. For never, since independence, has our collective destiny been so much in our own hands.”
Addressing the issue of Pan-African renewal, the Togolese leader reiterated that “Pan-Africanism is no longer just an idea; it is an imperative. It is a strategy for sovereignty.”
For him, this vision rests on “a pragmatic and demanding Pan-Africanism, capable of uniting our peoples, our cultures, our markets, and our knowledge.”
The president also advocated for the reform of global multilateralism, deeming it necessary to rebalance international governance.
”Since the Ezulwini Consensus, Africa has held a clear position: two permanent seats on the UN Security Council with veto power. We must reform the institutions, and reform within the institutions, both are essential,” he stated.
As for the continent’s economic sovereignty, Faure Gnassingbe emphasised the need to mobilise African resources to finance national priorities. “Our development will not come from solutions from
elsewhere. It will come first and foremost from ourselves: from our natural resources, our young talent, our businesses, our diasporas,our cultures.”
The Togolese leader stressed the importance of African unity. “Pan-Africanism is global. It is present on our continent, in the diaspora, and in our youth. These three driving forces are the pillars of African renewal. Together, we can write a new chapter in our history: a chapter of dignity, sovereignty, and rebirth.”
Finally, he called for a reclaiming of the African narrative, stating that “no power has ever asserted itself by letting others tell its story.”
According to him, Africa must now “value its arts, languages, and cultures to influence the world” and reclaim its image.
The congress’s work will culminate in the Lomé Declaration, which will put forward a shared vision for a renewed pan-Africanism, founded on African unity, sovereignty, and creativity, while reaffirming the strategic role of the diaspora and people of African descent in the continent’s development.
RNK/Sf/fss/as/APA