ACCRA DECLARATION REAFFIRMS PAN-AFRICAN UNITY AND DEMANDS REPARATORY JUSTICE; 80th Anniversary of 5th Pan-African Congress Closes with Bold Commitments

Story by Eugene Nyarko Jnr. l Accra, Ghana l November 19, 2025

The 80th Anniversary Conference of the 5th Pan-African Congress, organised by the Pan-African Progressive Front (PAPF), climaxed on Wednesday, 19th November 2025, at the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum in Accra with a powerful proclamation calling for reparatory justice, continental unity, and economic liberation for Africa and its global diaspora.

Delivering the proclamation on behalf of delegates, Rapporteur Theresa Boateng said representatives from Pan-African movements, progressive political parties, trade unions, peasant groups, youth and women’s organisations, cultural institutions and the African diaspora had reaffirmed their commitment to advancing the liberation agenda ignited at the historic 1945 Manchester Congress.

Reparatory Justice Declared a Central Pan-African Priority

The delegates declared that reparatory justice remains fundamental to restoring dignity and confronting the enduring consequences of slavery, colonialism and exploitation across Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America and the wider African diaspora.

As part of this agenda, the delegates resolved to establish a Pan-African institutional architecture for reparatory policy, consisting initially of:

• A Joint Institute for the Assessment of Harm and Documentation of Colonial Legacies, which will develop unified research methodologies, consolidate archives, and generate expert analysis to support engagements at international forums.
• A Pan-African Reparatory Justice Fund to finance programmes in education, health, infrastructure, and culture, grounded in transparency and accountability.

The delegates also expressed readiness to collaborate with the African Union, member states, and global partners to create an International Solidarity Contribution Mechanism. This voluntary funding approach will enable states and private entities that historically benefited from Africa’s exploitation to contribute up to 1% of the value of relevant operations or projects in support of reparatory and development goals.

An interim progress report detailing the operational framework of the Fund and preliminary outputs of the Joint Institute is expected ahead of the next conference.

The proclamation was adopted by acclamation in Accra on 19th November 2025.

Kwasi Pratt Jnr. Calls for Completion of Pan-African Revolution

In a stirring address, Kwasi Pratt Jnr., General Secretary of the Socialist Movement of Ghana, invoked the history of the 1945 Manchester Congress, reminding delegates of its radical call for total political and economic liberation of Africa.

He paid tribute to pan-African icons including Kwame Nkrumah, George Padmore, Amy Ashwood Garvey, W.E.B. Du Bois, Jomo Kenyatta, and countless unnamed activists whose struggles forged modern pan-African consciousness.

Pratt lamented that despite political independence, many African countries remain trapped in structures of economic domination, foreign control of finance, exploitative contracts and debilitating debt. He emphasised that the mission of Manchester remains unfinished.

A Revolutionary Roadmap for Africa’s Future

Pratt outlined a sweeping set of principles proposed for adoption by the conference, including:

• Complete political and economic unification of Africa, guided by popular participation and democratic control of resources.
• Reclaiming Africa’s natural resources, land and strategic industries for the benefit of its people.
• A continental industrialisation agenda prioritising manufacturing, technology and value-added production, supported by integrated rail, road, energy and digital infrastructure.
• Agrarian reform and food sovereignty, ensuring Africa produces primarily for African consumption.
• Financial independence, including the creation of an African monetary system and cancellation of illegitimate external debts.
• Pan-African universities to drive scientific, technological and human development.
• A continental military-industrial capacity to safeguard sovereignty and eliminate foreign military presence.
• A unified reparations framework to seek redress for slavery, colonialism and neo-colonial economic crimes.
• Full solidarity with all oppressed peoples worldwide.

Pratt declared that the era of Africa’s economic subjugation “will no longer be tolerated,” adding that a new age of Pan-African sovereignty, solidarity and human development “has begun.”

He called on governments, mass movements, trade unions, peasant associations and the global African family to mobilise collective resources and power to realise these transformative goals.

A Renewed Call for a United, Self-Reliant Africa

The conference closed with a renewed commitment to completing the Pan-African revolution envisioned in 1945 — a united, self-reliant, industrialised and socially just Africa that controls its own destiny.

Delegates departed Accra with a shared pledge to advance the struggle for liberation, reparatory justice and continental unity, ensuring that the spirit of Manchester continues to inspire generations to come.