50 countries to participate in 80th anniversary of Pan-African Congress in Accra

Representatives from 50 countries across Africa and the Caribbean are expected in Accra this month for the 80th anniversary commemoration of the Fifth Pan-African Congress.

The congress, first held in Manchester in 1945, was a turning point in Africa’s independence struggles and shaped the vision of leaders such as Kwame Nkrumah, Patrice Lumumba, and Sekou Touré.

Mr. Kwesi Pratt Jnr of the Pan-African Progressive Front (PPF) told a press briefing  earlier today that the anniversary will be marked with an international conference themed “From historical memory to economic and political justice, uniting African progressive forces.”

“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” will attend, Mr. Pratt said.

Organisers said the meeting will focus on liberation struggles, reparations, continental unity, and new economic models that can free Africa from neo-colonialism.

Key speakers will include Comrade Ivan Djinn of South Africa’s Metal Workers’ Union, Ghanaian academic Professor Ekwia Brichou, and Dr Gamal Nasser Adam, former Vice-President of the Islamic University.

Mr. Pratt described the Congress as not just a celebration of the past but a moment for Africans to claim their rightful place in a world he described as shaped against their dreams for freedom from all forms of poverty.

“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 from all forms of poverty,” Mr. Pratt said.

The conference results will culminate in the signing of the Accra Declaration, which will define Africa’s future for decades.