Advancing Pan-Africanism for Africa’s progress

Pan-Africanism is in the news for at least three reasons. First, there is the alleged xenophobia of some South Africans, which is said to damage the core tenets of Pan-Africanism by eroding solidarity, promoting narrow nationalism, and creating diplomatic rifts. 

Second, there is the pan-African solidarity exhibited by President Mahama in his role as the African Union’s lead in the pursuit of reparatory justice for slavery and colonialism.

Third, there is the Pan-Africanism of the fight for sustainable development and against climate disaster, manifested in the recent Africa Centre for Nature-Based Climate Action (AC4NCA) high-level ‘Nature-Talks Soirée’ in Accra.

What is Pan-Africanism? It is a global movement aimed at strengthening solidarity, economic cooperation, and political unity among indigenous Africans and the African diaspora.

Emerging in the 20th century, it promotes the belief that people of African descent share a common history and destiny, advocating liberation from racial oppression and colonialism.

Xenophobia

According to a recent Daily Graphic editorial, ‘Recent reports of xenophobic attacks [in South Africa], in which foreign nationals have been targeted and, in some instances, killed, raise serious moral, legal and economic questions for the continent’s most industrialised nation.’

History shows that once exclusionary sentiments are normalised, they rarely remain confined to their original targets. 

The alleged xenophobia and periodic violence against African migrants in South Africa – often referred to as ‘Afrophobia’ – damages the core tenets of Pan-Africanism by eroding solidarity, promoting narrow nationalism, and creating diplomatic rifts.

This hostility, frequently directed at other black African nationals, directly contradicts a key ideal of Pan-Africanism: a unified, borderless continent.

Solidarity

Another side of Pan-Africanism – highlighting strengthening solidarity, economic cooperation and political unity – is exhibited in an international conference, organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to be held in Accra between  June 17 and 19. The conference, a ‘High-Level “Next Steps” Conference on Reparatory Justice’, marks a significant moment in the pan-African and global movement to address the enduring legacy of enslavement and racial injustice.

Ghana’s President, John Dramani Mahama, leads the African Union’s efforts to secure reparatory justice for slavery and colonialism, focused in a 10-year project entitled a ‘Decade of Reparations (2026–2036)’, which aims to obtain both justice and compensation.

This initiative follows a United Nations General Assembly declaration that the Transatlantic Slave Trade was the ‘gravest crime against humanity’.

President Mahama has established an Office for Global Reparations to focus on restitution and has pushed for a united continental and diaspora approach: a pan-African approach to a historic ill, which affected all of Africa in various malign ways.

Sustainable development

A third manifestation of Pan-Africanism is found in a regional approach to sustainable development and the climate emergency.

A pan-African approach to sustainable development and the climate emergency emphasises ‘homegrown solutions’, merging climate action with economic development, energy access and social justice, guided by the African Union’s Agenda 2063. 

This strategy frames the crisis as a matter of justice, demanding that the continent, despite contributing minimally to global emissions, is not unfairly penalised while transitioning to a green economy.

AC4NCA, an Accra-based climate advocacy organisation, recently convened a high-level ‘Nature-Talks Soirée’ in the capital.

The élite event brought together diplomats, senior government officials, academics, development partners and climate advocates for an evening focused on advancing nature-based solutions across the continent.

The gathering underscored growing momentum around collaborative Pan-African climate action, particularly as countries confront escalating environmental challenges despite contributing minimally to global greenhouse gas emissions. AC4NCA’s long-term objective is to position Ghana as a regional leader in climate resilience, sustainable industrialisation and climate-smart investment.

The three events mentioned above emphasise the fundamental Pan-African desire for unity and solidarity, a sense of collective identity, and encouragement for African nations to act together against external exploitation.

This is to be accomplished through a focus on cultural pride and empowerment, as well as promotion of a reclamation of African history, identity and values and a rejection of Eurocentric narratives.

The overall aim is to connect people of African descent in the Americas and Caribbean with the continent, fostering a global black consciousness. 

Tensions

It is not all good news, however.

The events discussed in this article also highlight Pan-Africanism’s key tensions.

First, nation versus continent.

While many African leaders claim to support Pan-Africanism, many in practice prioritise national sovereignty and nationalistic policies.

Second, regional differences are undermining Pan-Africanism, with a lack of firm, shared identity often making regional economic blocs more likely than continent-wide ones.

Third, there is the internal versus external focus: Pan-Africanism is challenged to balance combating external neo-colonialism with fixing internal mismanagement and economic underdevelopment.

In essence, Pan-Africanism remains a crucial philosophy for empowerment and cooperation, but its implementation faces obstacles from both external pressures and internal divisions. 

The writer is Emeritus Professor of Politics, London Metropolitan

University, UK.