High Commissioner Francess Anderson Attends Lomé Peace and Security Forum in Togo
High Commissioner Francess Virginia Anderson (PhD.) has participated in the first edition of the Lomé Peace and Security Forum, together with Foreign Ministers and representatives of other African nations at the Hotel 2 fevrier in Lomé
The forum held on the 21st and 22nd of October is an initiative of Togolese President, H.E Faure Gnassingbe to reinforce Togo’s commitment to working with other states of the continent, regional integration organizations, AU, UN and other partners for the preservation of continental peace and stability.
Themed, “How to strengthen transitions towards democratic Governance in Africa”, the Forum saw in attendance Foreign Ministers of Mali, Chad, and Burkina Faso, the Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security of the African Union, the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel, with H.E Francess Virginia Anderson representing Sierra Leone’s Foreign Affairs Minister, H.E. Timothy Musa Kabba.
High Commissioner Anderson, during the deliberations, spoke on how important it is for Africans to embrace peace and help each other on the continent as other continents are doing.
She re-echoed President Julius Maada Bio’s commitment as Chairperson of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) to supporting anything geared towards strengthening, uplifting and promoting Africa’s Peace, while adding that a peaceful Africa is a prosperous Africa for all.
The Lomé Forum on peace and security is believed by many to have taken place at a time when the world is facing immense governance challenges in peace and security that hinder serene prospects for pleasant-sounding development in countries, says Victoire Tomegah Sidémého Dogbé, Togolese Prime Minister during her remarks.
This two-day international event featured several panel deliberations with an aim of providing an African platform for the exchange and sharing of experiences on peace, security, and the prospect of the African continent. It comes after the launch of the African Political Alliance (A.P.A)
Regarding the promotion of peace, dialogue, mediation, facilitation, and preferment of African solutions to African problems, it was concluded and agreed upon that the creation of the Lomé Peace and Security Forum is important.
A call for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan, an end to the activities of armed groups in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, dialogue among Libyans, among others.
It was noted as part of the conclusion that the African Political Alliance remain convinced that the current renewed interest in Pan-Africanism in Africa and among African Diasporas and the effectiveness of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) will enable Africa to improve its representativeness in Global Governance and its share in global trade.
The first edition of the Lomé Peace and Security Forum served as an opportunity for informed exchanges and shared reflections on the necessary indigenous ownership of our collective democratic consolidation process. It is a conducive space for the emergence of bold and realistic proposals.
