By: Francis Kokutse
Participants at the 9th Pan-African Congress in the Togolese capital, Lome, have called for a fairer, more balanced, and representative world order, based on respect for the sovereignty of peoples, social justice, equity, peace, and shared prosperity.
The five day Congress, which started on Monday December 8, 2025, ended with a declaration that, for Africa, to address the challenges of the 21st century, the continent must engage the people of African descent in the world, whose role is essential in the struggles for justice, respect for sovereignty, self-centred development, and the transformation of the international system.
The declaration said the fight for the reform of international institutions requires the establishment of a united Pan-African front that brings together the African Union, the Caribbean Community, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, as well as representatives of the peoples of the world.
The African Union Representative at the Congress, Amr Aljowaily in his closing remarks, said the 7th African Union European Union Summit that took place in Rwanda, a month ago, for the first time, acknowledged with profound regret, what Africans have gone through, from the transatlantic trades, through colonialism and through apartheid.
He said this recognition is a solid base for what is to follow, and the deliberations at the conference was another source of input that can be injected into it.
In a speech read on his behalf, the President of the Executive council or Togo, Faure Gnassingbe, said the participants have spent the five days of the Congress to outline the contours of a new Africa, an Africa proud of its identity, an Africa strong in its will, and an Africa determined to fully assert itself in global governance.
President Gnassingbe said, the participants were leaving Lome with a clear vision of the paths to take for a reinvented Africa, proud and respected, stating that, the successful holding of the Pan-African Congress was due to the unity, courage, and determination exhibited by the participants.
He said what was accomplished in the Togolese capital, is the foundation of a continent that asserts itself, inspires, and achieves, stating that, with the success of the Congress, the Africa we dream of is no longer a distant promise. It is moving forward, ready to become an essential geopolitical centre and a respected cultural hub.
President Gnassingbe said the Lome Congress has re-affirmed a simple truth that Africa can no longer be content to be a spectator, because divided – it will be vulnerable, united – it will be strong.
President Gnassingbe said the Congress has called upon all people of Africa and its descendants to promote African identity, and to create funds for inclusion and solidarity between Africa and its diaspora, including Afro-descendants, which he said is a challenge of consistency and coherence both in individual and collective action.
He said the Congress has outlined the directions of the issue of reparations and the restitution of cultural property as well as reflected on the place and role of hardworking, courageous, and resilient African and Afro-descendant women.
