The Pan-African Progressive Front (PPF) has held a joint conference with the Ghana Socialist Movement and Pan Africanism Today to rally the African continent and the diaspora to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Fifth Pan-African Congress in Manchester in 1945.

The massive online conference held on May 29, 2025, was attended by over sixty progressive pan-Africanists from 32 countries, including representatives of the diasporas of the USA and Brazil.

The first speaker and moderator of the conference, Albie Walls, a representative of the All-African People's Revolutionary Party, highlighted the exceptional importance of the Manchester Pan-African Congress.

He said that event did not only set the tone for all the work of the movements for decolonisation and the fight against imperialism for decades to come, but also became unprecedented in terms of scale, organisation and ideological integrity.

The second speaker, Roland Diagne from the Senegalese organisation FERNET, focused on an overview of the events following the Manchester Congress and the relevance of the resolutions adopted there regarding the realities of today.

Mr Diagne stressed that this was the first pan-African congress to bring together political leaders opposed to slavery and racism at such a level.

According to Diagne, "the issue of neocolonialism remains particularly relevant for the Sahel region today."

“Since the early 2010s, there has been a resurgence of patriotism and a desire for true sovereignty in the region. These changes reflect Africans' deep understanding of the devastating effects of neocolonialism.

“There are increasing calls for African countries to unite to resist external military intervention, in particular from NATO and Western powers. Of special concern are the activities of ECOWAS, which have deviated from their original objectives,” he added.

Mr Diagne expressed the hope that the new Government of Ghana would be able to return ECOWAS to its original mission of supporting peace, democracy and sovereignty.

The third speaker, Kwesi Pratt Jr., a journalist and member of the organising committee of the Pan-African Progressive Front, devoted his speech to discuss the need to develop a strategy for organisations to work together to prepare for the 80th anniversary celebration in Accra in October.

He explained that in order to understand what steps needed to be taken and where emphasis should be placed, it was necessary to refer to the goals and resolutions adopted at the 5th Pan–African Congress and analyse which of them had been achieved, which had not, and what was required to achieve them.

According to Pratt, it was necessary to create a special committee that will prepare for the 80th anniversary of the Pan-African Congress, where the Pan-African Progressive Front and Pan Africanism Today will act as organisers.

In addition, he noted that specialised commissions were needed for effective preparation and further activities of the PPF, including trade unions, women, youth, popular organisations, and political parties since they carry the weight of mobilising the masses.

Mr Pratt also raised the issue of political power on the continent; how much it serves the interests of the African peoples, and how progressive parties can gain this power to change the continent's future.

The veteran journalist also expressed great concern about the NATO military presence on the continent, especially in the Alliance of Sahel States, which posed a real threat to the security and sovereignty of the countries, quoting Kwame Nkrumah as saying that, "we need to build Africa without bombs."

During the open forum, 18 people signed up to express their opinion. Imani Na Umoja, a representative of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), agreed with Kwesi Pratt's words about the need to organise not just an 80th anniversary celebration, but a full-fledged congress that would bring together representatives of all organisations defending common interests.

The leader of the Pan-African Movement for Reparations, Justice and Restoration of Historical Memory, Ouzayrou Mamane, summed up the expectations of the conference when he stressed that the process of fair reparations to former colonies was supposed to be the continuation of the Manchester Congress. “This struggle is the key project on the way to full economic independence for Africa.

“Reparations are a historical necessity, an opportunity to restore the lost dignity of the peoples, to compensate for the enormous damage caused by centuries of slavery, colonialism and the imperialist policies of Western states,” Mr Mamane stressed.

Imani Na Umoja, a representative of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), agreed with Mr Pratt about the need to organise not just an 80th anniversary celebration, but a full-fledged congress that would bring together representatives of all organisations defending common interests.

Amina Hamani, a representative of the MORFEPAN women's organisation from Niger, emphasised the importance of the resolutions of the Manchester Congress amid active attempts by the West to interfere in the internal affairs of Africa.

She emphasised on the need to make pan-Africanism "not just a symbol, but an instrument of the struggle for full independence."

Saddam Alktif, a representative of the CODESA organisation, drew attention to the situation around Western Sahara and stated that as long as the occupation continued, the goals of pan-Africanism cannot be considered as achieved.

Humphrey Quaye, a representative of the PPF, explained the importance of the organisation's goals within the framework of the topics discussed, especially the fight against imperialism and neocolonialism, and invited all organisations to join the fight for a new Africa.

Finally, Albie Walls summed up the meeting and outlined a plan for the near future: to assemble the central organising committee and organise the next such meeting to discuss further steps to prepare for the event and further joint work.

At the end of the conference, the general consensus was about the need for more engagements to bring Africans together under a pan-African movement umbrella like the PPF to help champion the cause of Africa.

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The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.