Togo: Start of the new 2023-2024diplomatic year
Togo’s 2023-2024 diplomatic year began on Monday with an official ceremony in Lomé, attended by the diplomatic corps accredited to Togo, as well as heads of institutions of the Republic, civil society players and academics.
The event was marked by an inaugural lecture given by Joseph Kokou Koffigoh, former prime minister of Togo’s transition period (1991-1994).
During his talk, entitled «Democratic transitions in Africa: between dream and reality» Mr Koffigoh discussed the apparent causes of coups d’état in Africa, notably bad governance and electoral manipulation. For him, transitions are not always easy occasions when hopes become realities.
Mr Koffigoh took the opportunity to call on leaders to take account of the aspirations of their peoples in order to guarantee lasting peace on the continent.
For Professor Robert Dusseh, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and African Integration, this theme is a challenge for all those involved in transition.
«Togo cannot abandon countries in crisis or at war» he declared. He went on to say that Togo is committed to working with other African states and institutions over the coming months to strengthen Africa’s capacity for collective security.
The ceremony was also an opportunity for Minister DUSSEY to recall the main events that will be on Togo’s diplomatic agenda during the 2023-2024 diplomatic year, in particular the holding on 21 and 22 October of the first edition of the Lomé Peace and Security Forum and the organisation of the 9th Pan-African Congress in the second half of 2024.
