Story by, Paul Mensah Nsor
Accra, Ghana - October 20, 2025 - The Pan-African Progressive Front (PPF) has issued a statement commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Manchester Declaration, a pivotal moment in Pan-African history. The declaration, signed on October 21, 1945, called for an immediate end to colonialism, self-governance for African territories, workers' rights, racial equality, and continental unity.
The 5th Pan-African Congress, held in Manchester, England, in 1945, was a turning point in the struggle for African liberation. Visionaries such as Kwame Nkrumah, W.E.B. Du Bois, George Padmore, Jomo Kenyatta, and Amy Ashwood Garvey led the charge, inspiring a generation to fight for freedom and dignity. The congress marked a shift from philosophical idea to organized, action-driven liberation movement.
Today, the PPF stands as a torchbearer of the revolutionary spirit that defined the Manchester Congress. The battle has evolved, with neo-colonial dependency, economic inequality, and the unfinished quest for full African sovereignty being the new challenges. Kwesi Pratt Jr., a member of the PPF Coordination Committee, emphasized that "Africans must own and exploit their resources for their own benefit."
To commemorate this milestone, the PPF will host an international conference, "From Historical Memory to Economic and Political Justice," bringing together leaders, activists, scholars, and movements from across Africa and the diaspora. The conference aims to forge a forward-looking agenda for the next phase of the Pan-African struggle, centered on unity, reparations, self-determination, and sustainable development.
Dr. Eric Don Arthur, a member of the PPF Coordination Committee, affirmed that "we are paving the way for unification and the immediate creation of a continental government in Africa: 'UNITED African continent'." The PPF believes that Pan-Africanism must evolve from political liberation to economic and ideological independence, where Africa's wealth serves its people first.
As the PPF marks this 80th anniversary, Humphrey Quaye, Head of the Pan-African Progressive Front, declared, "Eighty years ago, Manchester declared that Africa must be free. Eighty years later, Accra declares that Africa must be sovereign, united, and prosperous. The torch has been passed, and we will carry it forward with courage, wisdom, and unwavering commitment to the Africa we deserve.²"