The African continent, endowed with immense richness and diversity, stands today at a pivotal moment in its history. The reform of multilateral institutions, historical justice, the question of reparations, and the restitution of African cultural treasures together form a complex yet essential equation for Africa to fully assert its sovereignty and unity. A true paradigm shift is underway, one in which hope, challenge and necessity intertwine, with the renewal of Pan-Africanism. This undertaking, simultaneously political, human, social and cultural, resembles the completion of a vast puzzle that the continent is determined to assemble.
Let us go back to the foundations: Africa is demanding a just and equitable place on the world stage. In September 2024, during the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, African nations unanimously and resolutely expressed their desire for a profound reform of the United Nations Security Council. They called, with firm determination, for full implementation of the Ezulwini Consensus and the Declaration of Sirte, which provide “for Africa to be allocated two (2) permanent seats with all privileges, including the veto, and five (5) non-permanent seats on the Security Council”, a demand that answers a major imperative of justice. Some countries, including the United States, have manifested their support, provided, however, that such evolution does not entail a further expansion of the veto right, which remains a delicate issue.
Since 2016, the African Union has been working to become a more coherent, stronger institution and less dependent on outside aid or funding. The path is winding and the resistances many. However, the example of some African countries illustrates this desire to strengthen unity and reorganize. It is a matter of refocusing energy on essentials, cleaning up governance and improving coordination with the regional economic communities, so that an Africa standing tall consolidates unity and strengthens solidarity.
Sovereignty is inseparable from justice, another major battle of the continent. The collective memory of Africa still carries the heavy scars of slavery, the slave trade, colonization and apartheid. It is thus that on 16 February 2025, at the initiative of Togo, Heads of State and Government of the African Union adopted the historic decision on the “qualification of slavery, colonization and deportation as crimes against humanity and genocide against African peoples”, thus crossing a symbolic threshold likely to open the way to reparations. It is not only a matter of numbers but of humanity, a call for recognition of the past to build the future.
The Lomé conference held last May as part of the celebration of Africa Day 2025 under the theme “Justice for Africans and people of African descent through reparations” was the occasion for renewed dialogue between Africans and representatives of former colonial powers, where emotion and reason joined forces with the essential delicacy.
In the same momentum, the restitution of objects looted during the dark colonial periods emerges as a major act. These treasures, far too often unknown to the general public, represent African wealth too frequently ignored or hidden. Countries such as France or Belgium have begun policies favoring their return. This gesture has a strong symbolic dimension, though insufficient compared to the volume and quantity of artworks present in Western museums: that of a recognition finally assumed. Yet, behind these advances loom real challenges: one must build museums to house them, secure sustainable financing and ensure real involvement of local communities so that these works do not remain mere museum pieces but become living symbols of a revitalized identity.
However, this African enterprise can only progress if multiple conditions are met: political patience, prudent management of rivalries, strengthening of economic and educational capacities. Reforming multilateral institutions, justice, reparations and restitution constitute the facets of the same diamond which, once polished, will make Africa shine on the international scene.
Togo occupies a strategic position in this context. With modesty but diplomatic determination, the country is preparing to host the 9th Pan-African Congress in December 2025, a decisive event destined to reignite the flame of Pan-Africanism. Under the theme “Renewal of Pan-Africanism and Africa’s Role in the Reform of Multilateral Institutions: Mobilizing Resources and Reinventing Itself to Act”, this meeting will bring together representatives of African states, diaspora communities and Afro-descendants around fundamental questions such as sovereignty, memorial justice, continental solidarity and global institutional reform.
This event, preceded by six regional preparatory conferences held in the six regions of the continent including the diaspora region (Bahia, Brazil), will be a crucial moment of exchange. Through this initiative, Togo reaffirms its capacity to play a major role in building Africa’s future, uniting hopes for a rediscovered unity, affirmed sovereignty and lasting peace. By hosting the 9th Pan-African Congress, Togo once again inscribes its name in the history of Pan-Africanism and reminds all of the strength of an Africa capable of acting collectively and consciously to overcome its challenges.
By listening to the vibrant voices of African populations, especially African youth, and those of people of African descent, perceiving the energy flowing from cities, villages and Afro-descendant communities, one realizes that Africa is ready. Ready to make its voice heard, proud of its memory, engaged in building a future worthy, collective and sovereign.
Such is the grandeur of this moment: a continent resetting the clock and continuing to write its own history, in ink of hope and determination.
