By: Francis Kokutse/Joyce Anim-Ayeko
The 9th Pan-African Congress has begun in Lome, Togo, with President Faure Gnassingbé reiterating the African Union’s call for two permanent seats with veto power on the UN Security Council. He described the prevailing situation as an “aberration,” because the continent should not be absent where international global issues that will affect it are discussed.
Addressing the opening of the Congress, President Gnassingbé said the continent cannot remain absent from the places where peace, trade, or global finance are decided. He said that nearly two centuries after the first Pan-African advancement, Africa and its diaspora have found themselves together once again, standing united, aware of their strength and their unity.
The host President said Africa can no longer be content with being a spectator on the world stage and reminded delegates that a divided Africa will remain vulnerable, but a united continent will be strong.
The African Union representative at the congress, Amr Aljowaily, said power imbalances are starkly evident in institutions such as the United Nations Security Council, where Africa remains underrepresented despite bearing the fruits of many decisions. He disclosed that plans are underway to host, for the first time, the annual session of the United Nations Permanent Forum for People of African Descent at the premises of the Union in Addis Ababa.
The Togolese Foreign Minister, Robert Dussey, said Pan-Africanism should not be confused with nationalism, explaining that nationalism is completely different from Pan-Africanism because it is driven by nations and African countries. He said no African nation can face alone the magnitude of contemporary challenges such as climate justice, health crises, technological divides, or global economic competition. Pan-Africanism is therefore no longer just an idea; it is an imperative, it is a strategy for sovereignty, he added.
