The first conference of foreign ministers of the African Political Alliance (APA) was held in Lomé, Togo, on May 3, 2023. Under the chairmanship of Mrs. Victoire TOMEGAH-DOGBE, Prime Minister of Togo, and Prof. Robert DUSSEY, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and Togolese Abroad, ministers and delegations from several African countries took part in the conference.
In her opening speech, Mrs. TOMEGAH-DOGBE highlighted the continent’s current challenges and recalled the idea of the APA launched by Togo. She congratulated the participants on their commitment to this initiative, which aims to strengthen cooperation between African nations and enhance their representativeness on the international stage.
All the ministers present welcomed the Togolese APA initiative, which aims to unite African nations around the ideals of pan-Africanism and promote a politically strong, independent and sovereign Africa. They discussed the challenges and prospects linked to Africa’s strategic positioning, its sovereignty and the expression of common positions on the international stage. They also examined the challenges of pan-Africanism and the African renaissance, as well as strengthening cooperation and endogenous counter-terrorism capabilities.
Underlining the fact of Africa’s under-representation in multilateral institutions, the ministers called for reform of the UN Security Council to ensure equitable representation of the continent. They also stressed the importance of African political unity, emancipation from foreign tutelage and the development of new African narratives to counter external influences.
With regard to the fight against terrorism, the ministers expressed their concern at the expansion of the terrorist threat in Africa, and stressed the need for enhanced cooperation and an endogenous response to guarantee collective security and stability on the continent. They called for the pooling of financial, technical, logistical and human resources in regional and African responses to terrorism.
The conference also decided to set up a high-level committee, chaired by Togo, to work on the founding texts, areas of cooperation and institutional outlines of the APA.
The next APA ministerial conference will take place in Togo at a later date.