« Africanophony, Cultures, Education and Pan-African Identity » was the theme of the online East Africa regional preparatory conference, a prelude to the 9th Pan-African Congress, organized on July 06, 2024, by the United Republic of Tanzania and the Republic of Togo.
Co-chaired by Ambassador MBAROUK Nasor Mbarouk, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation representing His Excellency January Yusuf MAKAMBA, Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and Togolese Abroad, H.E. Prof. Robert DUSSEY, whose country, Togo, chairs the High Committee in charge of the Agenda for the Decade of African Roots and Diasporas, the conference was held as part of the preparations for the 9th Pan-African Congress which will take place from October 29 to November 2, 2024 in Lomé, under the theme « Renewal of Pan-Africanism and Africa’s role in the Reform of Multilateral institutions: Mobilizing Resources and Reinventing Itself to Act ».
The conference, in which several ministers, the Vice-President of the African Union Commission Dr. Monique Nsanzabaganwa, and senior African officials took part, is the fifth (5) of six (6) preparatory conferences decided by the High Committee responsible for the agenda of the 2021-2031 Decade of African Roots and African Diasporas.
It is being held after those of December 4 and 5, 2023 in South Africa, March 14 and 15, 2024 in Bamako, Mali, 18 April 2024 online by the Kingdom of Morocco, May 24, 2024 online by the Republic of Congo, respectively on the themes « Pan-Africanism, Science, Knowledge and Technologies », « Diasporas, Afro-descendants and Development », « Pan-Africanism and Migration » and « Economic Pan-Africanism and African Emergence ».
The online meeting was marked, at its beginning, by the opening speeches of the two chairs, Ambassador MBAROUK Nasor Mbarouk, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation and H.E. Prof. Robert DUSSEY Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and Togolese Abroad.
Prof. DUSSEY thanks Minister January Yusuf MAKAMBA for his acceptance to organize the East Africa Regional Pre-congress. He noted that the theme of the Pre-congress has awakened our conscience to formulate strategic and operational recommendations to lay the foundations of an uninhibited Africa which, while remaining open to the diversity of the world, assumes responsibility, it being understood that culture and education are the basis of real development projects.
He observed that the African continent is a linguistic treasure. That is why it is important to promote Africanophony which refers to all African peoples, the diaspora and Afro-descendants who speak one or more African languages in their daily life.
He congratulated the various African organizations and forums such as the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the East African Community (EAC) and commended their efforts to promote Swahili as one of the national languages, making it one of the 10 most spoken languages in the world with more than 200 million speakers as well as ECOWAS and Regional Economic Community.
The minister’s statements were followed by the interventions of representatives of East African States who noted the importance of education, culture and Pan-African Identity and shared their national experiences on the useof local language in education.
The plenary session was marked by the presentation of the Executive Director of the Academy of African Languages (ACALAN).
At the end of the debate, the Dar-es-Salam Declaration was adopted by the participating States.
The closing session was marked by the intervention of the two chairs who both thanked the participants for their presence and their significant contributions. Minister DUSSEY informed the participants that the last remaining pre-congresses will be held in Bahia in Brazil from August 29 to 31, 2024 on behalf of the Diaspora region on the theme « Memories, restitutions, reparations and reconstructions » and invited all the participants in Lomé from October 29 to November 2, 2024 for the 9th Pan-African Congress.
