Kwesi Pratt Jnr (behind mics) addressing a press conference on the subject matter
The Pan-African Progressive Front (PPF) has given a strong indication of the participation of the leadership of the Alliance of Sahel States, including Burkina Faso’s President, Ibrahim Traoré, in the upcoming 80th Anniversary of the Fifth Pan-African Congress slated for the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) of the University of Ghana, Legon, from October 20 to 21.
The move, described by organisers as a major diplomatic boost, sets the tone for a gathering expected to revive conversations on continental liberation, reparations, and economic self-determination.
Addressing the press in Accra, a Member of the Coordinating Committee of the Pan-African Progressive Front (PPF), Kwesi Pratt Jnr, said the event would be a defining moment for Africa’s progressive forces.
“We have made efforts to secure the participation of the leadership of the Alliance of Sahel States, and we are expecting His Excellency President Ibrahim Traoré of Burkina Faso to address this meeting,” Pratt revealed.
“This conference is not just an echo of the past; it is a positive re-gathering of Africans to reassert their rights in a world shaped against their dreams for freedom. Africa cannot continue to be a spectator in the world theatre.”
The two-day event will mark the 80th anniversary of the historic Fifth Pan-African Congress held in Manchester, United Kingdom, in 1945 — a meeting that accelerated the liberation struggles across the continent.
The commemoration will feature high-level dialogues on themes of reparative justice, anti-imperialism, and continental unity.
The organisers indicated that President Traoré’s expected participation underscored the urgency of reclaiming Africa’s political and economic independence at a time when global power blocs are shifting.
“We recall the voices of Africa that vibrated from the meetings of 1945 for the control of African resources by Africans. We re-echo those voices and magnify them today in a shifting world where digital economies and global alliances are being redefined,” Pratt added.
The conference is expected to draw participation from political parties, trade unions, youth movements, women’s organisations, and civil society actors from over 50 countries across Africa and the Caribbean.
“In all, we expect to have participation from political parties of different persuasions, trade unions, youth and student movements, peasant and women’s organisations, and a broad variety of other mass-based organisations from across 50 countries in Africa and the Caribbean,” he said.
He mentioned the long list of committed Pan-Africanists who are storming Ghana to include Comrade Ibn Jim, General Secretary of the Metal Workers’ Union of South Africa, Professor Ikea Bichu, a lecturer of the University of Cape Coast, a Gender and Trade Union expert, and currently the Chairperson of the National Media Commission of Ghana, and Dr Gamal Nasser Adam, immediate past Vice President of the Islamic University, among others.
The historic gathering will also be under the distinguished patronage of Ghana’s President, John Dramani Mahama.
“We are especially grateful to His Excellency President John Dramani Mahama of Ghana for graciously accepting to address the meeting.
“This for us is of particular importance given the fact that President Mahama is the official African Union Champion on Reparations and has committed himself to pursuing the agenda of the founding fathers of the African Union, including Modibo Keita, Sekou Touré, Patrice Lumumba, and others,” Pratt added.
“We recall the voices of Africa who vibrated from the meetings of the 1945 Congress for National Liberation, for the control of African resources by Africans, for the unity of the African people with all people all over the world fighting for a new and better world.
“We re-echo those voices and magnify them today in a shifting world where global powers are rearranging their alliances, where currencies are tumbling, and where digital economies are reshaping value. Ladies and gentlemen of the media, we invite you to be partners in this great re-birth of Africa, and we would like to thank you very much for coming,” he stressed.
The discussions at this important conference will cover areas like the continuation of the national liberation struggle in Africa and elsewhere, the consolidation of national independence, the development of a framework for continental unity on the basis of anti-imperialism, the struggle for reparative justice, the development and application of a new model of economic and social development to free the African people from the stranglehold of neocolonialism.
The conference results will culminate in the signing of the Accra Declaration, which will define Africa’s future for decades.