1. Prof. Robert DUSSEY, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and Togolese Abroad, chaired, this Monday, September 11, 2023 in Lomé, the 2023-2024 diplomatic new year marked by a public conference on the theme “Democratic transitions in Africa between dreams and realities”. 2. The ceremony was attended by personalities from the diplomatic and consular world, political figures, academics, stakeholders from the world of justice, civil society and diplomatic staff from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, regional integration and Togolese abroad. 3. In his speech for the occasion, Prof. Robert DUSSEY outlined the objectives of this annual meeting and recalled the strategic orientations of Togolese diplomacy defined by the President of the Republic, H.E.Mr. Faure Essozimna GNASSINGBÉ, relating, among other things, to the commitment to serving a peaceful West African community, an Africa less vulnerable to shocks, stable, strong and audible on the international scene and for a more just and equitable world. He noted that Africa’s return to the international scene will only benefit the continent if Africa is master of its own agendas. 4. The ceremony was also an opportunity for Minister DUSSEY to recall the main events which will be on Togo’s diplomatic agenda during the diplomatic year 2023-2024, in particular the holding, on October 21 and 22, of the first edition of « Lomé Peace and Security Forum » and the organization of the 9th Pan-African Congress in the second half of 2024. 5. According to Prof. Robert DUSSEY, Togo cannot abandon brother countries which are in crisis, at war and in political transition which constitute moments of major uncertainties and mediation and facilitation efforts at the scale of the region and the continent will be strengthened throughout the year. Togolese diplomacy values African expertise in the search for solutions to African problems and this is the best way for Africa to limit external interference which has contributed in recent years to fueling sources of tension and putting the continent in difficulty. 6. In the inaugural conference of this diplomatic new year, the speaker, the former transitional Prime Minister in Togo (1991-1994), Mr. Joseph Kokou KOFFIGOH, presented his vision of democratic transitions in Africa which are both occasions of hope, uncertainty and sometimes despair. The reality of political transitions, argued Mr. Joseph Kokou KOFFIGOH, is that they are not always easy occasions where hopes become realities. 7. The great merit of the democratic transitions of the nineties in Africa, in addition to the liberalization of the political landscape and the advances in human rights, is that everyone has converted to the idea of democracy, which is definitively anchored in habits. Democratic transitions have thus made pluralist democracy the political regime accepted by all. 8. The speaker, drawing on past experiences, made relevant recommendations for the conduct of political transitions that must be inclusive, peaceful and oriented towards the restoration of constitutional order through free and transparent elections. 9. The eminent speaker stressed that the conduct and support of political transitions require more realism, pragmatism and contextualized approaches adapted to the practical situation of each political transition process. He invited regional organizations, the African Union and the international community to think outside the box and purely normative positions in order to better support the political transitions underway on the continent, particularly in West Africa. These institutions and the international community must favour diplomatic channels and mechanisms in their relations with transitional regimes to the detriment of belligerent approaches. 10. The conference ended with an interactive session to deepen the theme through questions and answers. 11. The diplomatic new year ceremony was an opportunity for the head of Togolese diplomacy to invite all the diplomatic staff of our country, at headquarters or outside, to greater boldness, initiatives, efficiency and performance to take Togolese diplomacy even further in accordance with the vision of the President of the Republic, H.E.Mr. Faure Essozimna GNASSINGBÉ. Lomé, September 11, 2023

1 – Le Togo et l’Union africaine ont, dans le cadre de l’Agenda 2021-2031 de la « Décennie des racines africaines et de la diaspora africaine », procédé, ce lundi 22 mai 2023 à Lomé, au lancement officiel du 9ème Congrès panafricain prévu en 2024 sur le thème « Renouveau du panafricanisme et rôle de l’Afrique dans la réforme des institutions multilatérales : mobiliser les ressources et se réinventer pour agir ». 2 – La cérémonie de lancement présidée, au nom de S.E.M. Faure Essozimna GNASSINGBE, Président de la République, par S.E. Mme Victoire TOMEGAH-DOGBE, Premier ministre et Cheffe du gouvernement, a été marquée par la présence des membres du gouvernement togolais, des présidents des institutions de la République, ainsi que d’autres personnalités venues de l’Union africaine, du continent, des diasporas africaines et des communautés d’afro-descendants. 3 – La cérémonie de lancement a été marquée par plusieurs allocutions et S.E. Mme Victoire TOMEGAH-DOGBE a, dans son discours, remercié l’Union africaine et ses États membres pour le choix porté sur le Togo pour abriter le 9ème Congrès panafricain qui sera l’occasion privilégiée pour les africains vivant sur le continent et hors d’Afrique (la diaspora et les afro descendants) de s’interroger sur la question de leur devenir dans un monde de plus en plus instable, marqué par des crises multiples et en pleine reconfiguration. 4 – Selon Madame le Premier ministre, le contexte actuel est celui du renouveau du panafricanisme et le 9ème Congrès permettra non seulement de répondre au besoin d’assurer une continuité historique au mouvement panafricain, mais aussi de réaffirmer son importance incontournable dans les efforts et l’élan collectif des peuples d’Afrique et des diasporas africaines pour une meilleure représentativité du continent dans les institutions multilatérales de coopération internationale et pour sa participation équitable à la gouvernance mondiale. 5 – S’exprimant au nom de la Commission de l’Union africaine, S.E. Dr Monique NSANZABAGANWA, Vice-présidente de la Commission de l’institution continentale, a salué le leadership de S.E.M. Faure Essozimna GNASSINGBE et de la diplomatie togolaise sur la question des diasporas africaines et a rappelé toute l’importance que l’UA accorde au panafricanisme, à la diaspora africaine et aux afro-descendants dans son Agenda 2063. Selon elle, le projet d’organisation du 9ème Congrès panafricain répond aux enjeux actuels et la renaissance africaine n’est possible que dans le cadre d’un panafricanisme renouvelé et adapté à notre époque. 6 – Dans leurs allocutions, S.E. Mme Naledi PANDOR, ministre des relations internationales et de la coopération de l’Afrique du Sud, et S.E.M. Jean-Claude GAKOSSO, ministre des affaires étrangères, de la francophonie et des Congolais de l’étranger, ont respectivement salué l’engagement panafricain du Togo. S.E. Mme Naledi PANDOR a relévé l’importance contemporaine du panafricanisme et la détermination de son pays à travailler aux côtés du Togo et de l’UA pour la réussite du 9ème Congrès panafricain. Quant à S.E.M. Jean-Claude GAKOSSO, il a souligné toute la pertinence de la présente édition du Congrès qui permettra de fédérer les énergies autour des questions de développement continental et de représentativité de l’Afrique dans la gouvernance mondiale. 7 – Dans son discours de circonstance, S.E. Prof. Robert DUSSEY, ministre des affaires étrangères, de l’intégration régionale et des Togolais de l’extérieur, a décliné les prochaines étapes des préparatifs du Congrès de Lomé qui vont s’accélérer à travers une série d’activités, notamment l’installation des membres du Comité International du Congrès, la campagne de mobilisation et de communication internationale, l’installation des sous-comités en charge des travaux thématiques et la tournée du renouveau du panafricanisme dans plusieurs pays du continent et dans les diasporas. 8 – La cérémonie de lancement intervient suite à la Décision Assembly/AU/Dec.22(XXXVI) de la Conférence des Chefs d’État et de gouvernement de l’UA réunie en sa 36ème session ordinaire les 18 et 19 février 2023 à Addis-Abeba, en Éthiopie, à travers laquelle elle a demandé au Togo d’organiser, en collaboration avec la Commission de l’UA, la 9ème édition du Congrès panafricain. 9 – Le Congrès de Lomé en 2024 sera le 4ème Congrès panafricain tenu sur le continent après le 6ème congrès de Dar es Salam en Tanzanie, le 7ème de Kampala en Ouganda et le 8ème de Johannesburg en Afrique du Sud. Les cinq premiers Congrès panafricains ont été tenus en dehors de l’Afrique dont le 1er à Paris en 1919, le 2ème à Londres, Bruxelles et Paris, le 3ème à Londres et Lisbonne, le 4ème à New York et le 5ème à Manchester.

The first conference of foreign ministers of the African Political Alliance (APA), an informal framework for enhanced cooperation, was held on 03 May 2023 in Lomé, in the Togolese Republic. The opening ceremony and the proceedings of the ministerial conference were chaired respectively by H.E. Mrs Victoire TOMEGAH-DOGBE, Prime Minister of the Togolese Republic, and H.E. Prof. Robert DUSSEY, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and Togolese Abroad. The conference was attended by foreign ministers and heads of delegation from the following countries: the Republic of Angola, Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, the Gabonese Republic, the Republic of Guinea, the State of Libya, the Republic of Mali, the Republic of Namibia, the United Republic of Tanzania and the Togolese Republic. In her opening speech, H.E. Mrs Victoire TOMEGAH-DOGBE recalled the current challenges facing the continent, which led Togo to launch the idea of the African Political Alliance (APA). On behalf of H.E.M. Faure Essozimna GNASSINGBE, President of the Togolese Republic, the Prime Minister congratulated the participants on their support for this Togolese initiative, which responds to the geopolitical and diplomatic need for Africa to qualitatively and significantly review its relations with the rest of the world in order to be better represented in multilateral institutions for collective action and in global governance. The challenges are great, and call for thinking outside the box in a global geopolitical context that requires each continent to adapt more quickly to changes in the world. The ministers welcomed Togo’s initiative to launch the African Political Alliance, which will make it possible to go beyond the usual existing frameworks for cooperation and bring together African nations that are convinced of the ideals of pan-Africanism and determined to work for an Africa that is free of complexes, politically strong, non-aligned, independent and acting sovereignly on the international stage. The ministers welcomed the holding of the first ministerial conference of the African Political Alliance, which provided them with an opportunity to discuss the current issues and challenges facing Africa in a world undergoing major transformation and reshaping, where the continent intends to assert itself as a pole of power and a major player on the international stage. During their discussions, the ministers exchanged views on the challenges and prospects relating to Africa’s strategic positioning, sovereignty and the expression of common positions on the international stage, examined the current issues and challenges of pan-Africanism and the African renaissance, the challenges of strengthening cooperation and endogenous capacities to fight terrorism, as well as the main areas of cooperation and the institutional contours of the African Political Alliance. Examination of the various issues on the agenda of the first ministerial conference led to the following conclusions: STRATEGIC POSITIONING, SOVEREIGNTY AND THE EXPRESSION OF AFRICA’S COMMON POSITIONS ON THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE The ministers deplored Africa’s under-representation in the multilateral institutions of global governance, starting with the United Nations, and stressed that it is unacceptable today for Africa, which alone accounts for almost 28% of the member states of the United Nations, not to have a permanent representative with veto rights on the Security Council. The ministers welcomed the various African initiatives to reform multilateral institutions and improve global governance and recalled the « Ezulwini Consensus » and the « Sirte Declaration » reaffirmed on several occasions concerning the common African position on the reform of the Security Council calling for Africa to be allocated two (2) seats as a permanent member with all privileges, including the right of veto, as well as five (5) seats as a non-permanent member of the Security Council. The ministers regretted the lack of progress in the reform dynamic within the UN institution, particularly at the level of the Security Council, and invited the five permanent members to play their part in advancing the reform process. The Ministers noted that, in the face of current challenges, concerted and collectively constructed solutions are needed that reflect the reality of a world that has changed profoundly, in accordance with the right of peoples to be equitably represented in global governance. The ministers stressed the need for Africa to establish itself as an independent, sovereign political force, politically self-determining and acting in complete freedom on the international stage. They welcomed the ambition of the African Union from its inception to work towards the advent of an « integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, led by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force on the international scene » and affirmed their attachment to the principle of non-alignment laid down in 1963 by the defunct Organisation of African Unity (OAU) as one of the essential principles that should structure the relationship of the newly independent African countries with the rest of the world. The ministers also stressed the need for Africa to emancipate itself from all foreign tutelage, whatever it may be and wherever it may come from, and to work to protect itself from external influences and interference, which are sometimes factors in crises and instability on the continent. The ministers noted the various levers available to Africa and its countries that can be mobilised to help the continent exercise its sovereignty as effectively as possible on the international stage. In particular, they identified the continent’s economic potential as a tool for asserting its sovereignty on the international stage. The ministers also noted the need for African nations to reconcile, in the interests of the continent and of all, their national imperatives and the need to hold common positions on the international stage. They reaffirmed their commitment to common African positions and the principle of unity of action in order to respond to the need to speak with one voice and act collectively to promote common African interests on the international stage. ON THE CURRENT ISSUES AND CHALLENGES FACING PAN-AFRICANISM AND THE AFRICAN RENAISSANCE Ministers recalled the historical conditions of the emergence of pan-Africanism and the decisive role played by the movement in the process of emancipation of the continent and the majority of African nations achieving independence in the second half of the