At the International Conference of Pan-African Progressive Forces held in Ghana, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Fifth Pan-African Congress in Manchester, over 300 delegates from 57 African countries and its global diaspora adopted two fundamental declarations setting the course of the struggle for the continent's complete liberation.
The event was a powerful demonstration of unity and resolve, culminating in the adoption of the comprehensive Accra Declaration and the targeted Accra Declaration on reparations.
The Special Declaration on Reparations has attracted particular attention, proposing concrete mechanisms for obtaining reparations for centuries of colonialism and slavery, while the Accra Declaration represents a broad political program encompassing issues of Africa's full political and economic unification, resource sovereignty, industrialization, agricultural revolution, and financial independence.
This document marks a shift from rhetoric to practical actions. The declaration announces the creation of a workable pan-African institutional architecture to advance reparations policies, instead of abstract appeals.
The Joint Institute for the Assessment of Damage and Documentation of Colonial Legacy aims to become a scientific and analytical hub. Its goals include developing unified methods for calculating complex damage, consolidating archival materials from around the world, and generating expert opinions for submission to high international courts and the United Nations. This represents an attempt to build an evidence base for the culpability of colonizing countries that cannot be ignored.
Pan-African Reparations Justice Fund. The declaration not only announces the creation of this fund but also sets forth its operating principles of transparency and accountability. Its goals are to finance and implement priority programs in education, healthcare, infrastructure, and culture, with an emphasis on restorative development rather than simple monetary compensation.
One of the most pragmatic elements is the proposed structure of the fund. The document expresses a commitment to work with the African Union and international partners to establish a solidarity mechanism that will accept contributions from states and private companies that historically benefited from Africa's exploitation. The proposed approach is based on voluntary financial contributions, including up to 1 percent of contract prices paid by corporations from former colonial countries operating in Africa.
This draws on existing international models of solidarity levies, such as the UNITAID airfare tax, and offers a plausible and sustainable financing framework that bypasses debates over direct compensation.
The adoption of these complementary declarations is more than a commemorative act. It is a call to a viable alternative agenda for Africa and its diaspora. The Accra Declaration sets the strategic direction of complete liberation and unification, while the Special Declaration on Reparations provides a tactical tool for addressing historical injustices without which independence is incomplete.
The Pan-African Progressive Front showed significant leadership by hosting a conference of this scale and adopting concrete and ambitious documents. It demonstrated its potential to become a major coordinating and ideological force for Pan-African movements across the continent and the diaspora.
The Accra conference showed that the PPF seeks not only to critique but also to present a detailed plan for building a future in which Africa is not a petitioner but the author of its own destiny.
Source: Graphic Online