President John Dramani Mahama has launched the African Political Parties Initiative (APPI), a new platform aimed at fostering cross-party collaboration and strengthening democratic governance across the continent.
The initiative was unveiled on Friday, March 7, at the Accra International Conference Centre, drawing participation from distinguished political leaders across Africa. It serves as a precursor to the African Political Parties Summit, scheduled for July this year.
In his keynote address, President Mahama highlighted the initiative’s significance, framing it as an opportunity for Ghana to reaffirm its pan-African commitment. He emphasized its alignment with the vision of “an integrated, prosperous, and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens, representing a dynamic force in the international arena.”
Commending the Africa Governance Centre for spearheading the initiative, Mahama praised its focus on fostering dialogue and cooperation across political lines. “It is my pleasure to also voice support for the APPI, and congratulate the team of the Africa Governance Centre for this great initiative,” he stated.
The former president stressed that the initiative was timely, given the complex challenges facing global and African governance. These include conflicts, pandemics, populism, climate change, and the rapid evolution of digital technologies. He expressed optimism that APPI’s approach—anchored on non-partisan, inter-party engagement—would provide a much-needed framework for addressing these challenges collectively.
“The African Political Parties Initiative’s vision of a non-partisan and non-ideological inter-party dialogue and a truly pan-African approach to how political parties reflect on and address the challenges of development will be an invaluable component of how Africa embraces its present challenges and considers them as opportunities for growth.
Indeed, this is a rightly groundbreaking initiative, which provides a rare opportunity to break cultures of mistrust and deep divisions across political parties that undermine our capacity to confront challenges that require a collective response.”
Mahama further urged political parties to prioritize national development over partisan gains, warning against politics driven by polarization, misinformation, and obstructionist tactics.
Also speaking at the event, the Chair of the Advisory Board of the Africa Governance Centre underscored the importance of building capacity and fostering meaningful interactions among political parties across the continent.
He noted that in the face of rising geopolitical instability, economic marginalization of youth and women, and the climate crisis, Africa must seize the moment to offer a new vision for inclusive growth.
“Africa stands on the precipice and can provide the world a refreshing lens to escape from this deep impasse and find imaginative ways of securing meaningful inclusive growth,” he asserted.
The Advisory Board Chair also stressed the need for governance to be built on cooperation rather than conflict, arguing that Africa’s full economic potential could only be realized through unity.
Taking the stage, Ms. Benedicta Lasi, Chairperson of the Executive Council of the Africa Governance Centre, outlined the APPI’s goals and the extensive groundwork already laid. She emphasized the Centre’s role as a strategic hub for promoting democratic governance, economic transformation, and institutional development across Africa.
Ms. Lasi also detailed key focus areas of the initiative, including leadership development, policy research, advocacy, communication, and public engagement. These, she said, would be complemented by robust monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.
Despite being unable to attend in person, Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, the African Union Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security, addressed the gathering virtually. He commended African political parties for their role in advancing democracy, highlighting the increasing number of peaceful elections across the continent.
“We (The Africa Union) consider the year 2024 a super year for elections. Fifteen member states held presidential and parliamentary elections seventeen times. That is indeed a record, and in many of our electoral processes, we continue to see huge great leaps forward in terms of improvement in electoral practices,” he noted.
Ambassador Adeoye called for both continental and global support for APPI to consolidate these democratic gains.
In her closing remarks, H.E. Edite Ten Jua, former Minister of Justice and Foreign Affairs of São Tomé and Príncipe and Executive Secretary of the upcoming African Political Parties Summit, reinforced the call for sustained collaboration among political parties to drive Africa’s development.
She extended appreciation to all attendees, particularly President Mahama and other high-ranking dignitaries, while urging political stakeholders to actively participate in the summit slated for July 2025.
The African Political Parties Initiative, convened by the Africa Governance Centre, is a flagship program dedicated to strengthening political leadership, governance, and party systems across the continent. Beyond its annual summit, APPI includes a range of governance-focused activities such as the Youth in Politics Forum, Women Political Leadership Summit, Political Leadership Academy, Political Parties Governance Index, and the Diaspora Political Parties Exchange.
