African political parties summit 2025 highlights youth empowerment and pan-African cooperation

The African Political Parties Summit 2025, held from August 12 to 14 at the Accra International Conference Centre, was themed "From Politics to Prosperity: Strengthening Inter-Party Collaboration for Africa's Development and Economic Transformation."

A major highlight of the Summit was the Inaugural African Youth in Politics Forum, which carried the theme "Empowering Africa's Young Leaders: Political Participation for a Sustainable and Inclusive Future." The forum’s focus aligned with the global theme for International Youth Day 2025, "Youth Empowerment for a Sustainable Future."

The forum underscored the need for Africa’s next generation of leaders to be equipped not only with passion but also with the skills and vision to influence policy, reform governance, and drive inclusive development. Young elected officials, party youth wings, civil society actors, and reform advocates participated in panel sessions that examined strategies for meaningful youth inclusion, leadership development, and intergenerational collaboration.

Lawyer Benedicta Lasi, Chair of the Executive Council of the Africa Governance Centre (AGC), delivered the welcome address. She expressed gratitude to the President of Ghana for creating opportunities for young people and stressed the importance of inclusive political platforms. She praised the mobilizing power of Africa’s youth but also highlighted the many challenges they continue to face.

At the Opening Ceremony, a plenary session on the theme "From Marginal Inclusion to Political Leadership: What Must Change?" set the tone for discussions. President John Dramani Mahama called for a rejection of divisive politics, saying, “we must reject the kind of politics that thrive on polarization, misinformation, and the deliberate obstruction of progress simply because it does not originate from our own political party.”

Hon. Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), described politics as “the act of building” through what he called “The Accra Initiative.” Hon. Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, General Secretary of the NDC, encouraged political parties to rediscover their “spiritual roots.”

The gathering amplified the voices of political parties, youth movements, alliances, activists, and emerging forces across the continent. Delegations from world leaders, including South Africa’s President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa, Ghana’s Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, and Uganda’s President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, resolved to address the economic consequences of artificial trade and political barriers in Africa.

Former South African Energy Minister Jeffrey Thamsanqa Radebe, who chairs the Advisory Board of the AGC and serves as President Ramaphosa’s Special Envoy, commended President Mahama for his leadership and resilience, describing his service and the love of Ghanaians even in difficult times as “true values of Pan-Africanism.” He added: “The work on the African continent must continue, even in challenging moments. Dialogues can replace disputes; summits do not change nations, leaders do.”

In a solemn moment, the AGC extended condolences to the families and the nation of Ghana over the August 6 helicopter crash that claimed the lives of eight distinguished Ghanaians, including two Cabinet Ministers. Ghana’s Chief of Staff, Hon. Julius Debrah, delivered the President’s closing statement at the Summit.

The African Political Parties Initiative (APPI) closed the gathering with a strong reminder of the continent’s collective responsibility: “The prosperity of our continent depends not only on elections but on political cooperation, institutional vision, and parties that put people before power.”

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