The 9th Pan-African Congress, held in Lomé, Togo from December 9-12, 2025, has concluded not with a simple farewell, but with a significant transfer of operational responsibility. While the event brought together Pan-Africanists, diaspora leaders, and Afro-descendants to deliberate on the theme of “Renewal of Pan-Africanism and Africa’s Role in Reforming Multilateral Institutions,” its most enduring outcome may be the institutional mandate given to the host nation. Togo has been entrusted with a critical, long-term role: to coordinate the implementation of the Congress’s ambitious commitments, a task that moves Pan-Africanism from rhetoric to actionable strategy.
The closing ceremony, presided over by National Assembly President Komi Selom Klassou, culminated in a series of resolutions that signal a shift towards more structured, state-anchored Pan-African action. The decision to appoint Togo as the follow-up coordinator is particularly noteworthy. This is not merely a ceremonial honor but a substantive administrative and diplomatic duty. Togo is now tasked with collaborating directly with the African Union Commission, member states, diaspora-hosting nations, and diaspora institutions to monitor and drive progress on the Congress’s decisions. This creates a formal, accountable link between the Congress’s visionary declarations and the machinery of continental and international governance.
The scope of Togo’s mandate is twofold and historically significant. First, it involves the pragmatic coordination of follow-up across a fragmented ecosystem of stakeholders. Second, and more profoundly, Togo has been specifically charged with approaching the United Nations General Assembly to seek a Resolution for an International Day on Reparations and Restitution. This elevates a long-standing moral and economic claim of the African diaspora to the highest level of multilateral diplomacy, giving Togo a pivotal role in a global advocacy campaign.
Other key institutional decisions from Lomé aim to prevent the cyclical lapse of Pan-African momentum. The Congress resolved to hold future editions every five years, moving towards a regularized forum. Furthermore, plans were announced to create a permanent bureau of the Pan-African Congress, the location and host of which will be determined through further consultation. This indicates a move towards a standing secretariat, which would provide continuity between congresses—a common challenge for such periodic gatherings.
A deeply symbolic outcome was the strong support for institutionalizing a Pan-African Day in memory of the victims of slavery, the transatlantic deportation, and colonization. The Congress did not set a date but initiated a consultative process involving African states, the African Union, CARICOM, CELAC, and other diaspora platforms. This deliberate, inclusive approach to setting the date is itself a practice of the Pan-African unity it seeks to commemorate, ensuring the day carries shared significance across the globe.
Finally, the formal transmission of the Lomé Declaration to the African Union’s Assembly of Heads of State and Government is a crucial step for legitimacy and integration. It ensures the Congress’s outputs are fed directly into the AU’s policy organs, mechanisms, and processes, aligning grassroots and intellectual Pan-Africanism with official continental agendas.
In essence, the 9th Pan-African Congress may be remembered less for its discussions and more for its design of a new implementation architecture. By entrusting Togo with a central coordinating role, launching the process for a UN Reparations Day, and laying the groundwork for a permanent bureau, the delegates in Lomé have attempted to build a bridge between Congress resolutions and tangible outcomes. The success of this new phase of Pan-Africanism will now be measured by the work that follows in the corridors of power in Lomé, Addis Ababa, and New York.
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