Eighth Pan-African Congress underway in Accra

Accra, March 5, GNA - The Eighth Pan-African Congress (PAC) on the theme 'The Pan African World We Want' is under way in Accra.

The three-day meeting would reinforce the messages emanating from the African Union (AU) Summit of May 2013 marking the AU's 50th Anniversary.

This historic Declaration by the AU summit emphasized the responsibility of African people wherever they may be to act to realize the vision of Pan Africanism and African Renaissance.

The Eighth PAC meeting, which brought together participants from all over Africa and the Diaspora, seeks to achieve the AU's vision of Pan-Africanism and African Renaissance.

Among the high profile officials who graced the opening ceremony on Thursday in Accra were President John Dramani Mahama, President Thomas Yayi Boni of Benin, Iranian Vice President for Executive Affairs, Mohammad Sharitmadari, and other representatives of heads of states and governments across Africa such as the Equatorial Guinea, Togo, Algeria and Zimbabwe.

Major General Kahinde Otafire, the Chairman of the Global Pan African Movement in his welcome address said the movement believed in the future, peace and progress of Africans.

He urged African leaders to ensure that their people benefitted from the rich abundant resources of the continent.

He said the failure of African leaders to transform the economy of Africa had led to some of the continent's youth perishing in the Mediterranean Sea all in an effort to seek greener pastures from elsewhere.

Maj Gen Otafire, who is also the Ugandan Justice Minister, lauded Dr Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, Muammar Gaddafi of Libya and others for their visionary leadership of a continental government.

President Yayi Boni, who delivered a thought provoking speech covering a wide range of areas such as economics, politics and social issues, received thunderous claps intermittently; he also lauded Nkrumah for being the torch bearer of Africa's emancipation.

He congratulated Ghana on her 58th Independence Anniversary, declaring that Ghana's independence served as a catalyst for the rest of Africa.

He paid tribute to other heroes of Pan-Africanism such as Martin Luther King Jr, W.E.B Dubois, Patrice Lumumba, Julius Nyerere, George Padmore and Marcus Garvey, for their pioneering role in Pan-Africanism.

The history of PAC dates back to the first Pan-African Conference of 1900 in London, which was followed by a series of seven PAC meetings - the first in 1919 in Paris, second in 1921 in London, third in 1923 in London, fourth in 1927 in New York, fifth in 1945 in Manchester, sixth in 1974 in Dar es Salaam, the seventh in 1994 in Kampala.

The congresses were intended to address issues facing Africa as a result of colonization of the continent.

GNA