Eighty years after the historic 5th Pan-African Congress in Manchester, England, the Pan-African Progressive Front (PPF), has reaffirmed its commitment to the ideals that shaped the continent’s liberation struggle.
The Congress, held from October 15 to 21, 1945, brought together over two hundred delegates, freedom fighters, trade unionists, intellectuals, and students, from across Africa and the diaspora.
It was at that gathering that the Manchester Declaration was adopted, setting into motion the wave of independence movements that swept across the African continent in the decades that followed.
Led by prominent figures such as Kwame Nkrumah, W.E.B. Du Bois, George Padmore, Jomo Kenyatta, and Amy Ashwood Garvey, the Congress called for an immediate end to colonial rule, the establishment of self-governance, the protection of workers’ rights, racial equality, and the unity of the African people.
The Manchester Declaration became a defining document for Africa’s liberation, providing ideological and political direction to a generation that dismantled colonial empires across Africa and the Caribbean.
The resounding message from Manchester in 1945 was clear, “The people of Africa are determined to be free.”
Marking the 80th anniversary of this historic milestone, the PPF says the struggle for true liberation is far from over. The organization notes that while the colonial era may have ended, Africa continues to grapple with neo-colonial dependency, economic inequality, and the quest for full sovereignty.
“The battle that began in Manchester 80 years ago continues, not against colonial masters this time, but against the structures that keep Africa economically dependent and politically fragmented,” the PPF said in a statement.
PFP stressed that the present generation carries a sacred duty to complete what the pioneers of 1945 began; the building of a self-reliant, united, and just Africa.
According to the PPF, modern Pan-Africanism must move beyond political liberation to focus on economic and ideological independence, ensuring that Africa’s wealth benefits its own people first.
Kwesi Pratt Jr., a member of the PPF Coordination Committee, echoed this call, stating that “Africans must own and exploit their resources for their own benefit.”
As the continent reflects on eight decades since the adoption of the Manchester Declaration, the PPF’s message is one of renewal; a reminder that Pan-Africanism is not merely history, but a living movement demanding action, unity, and self-determination for all Africans.