Togo and Gabon have joined the Commonwealth since Saturday June 25, the closing day of the Summit of Heads of State and Government of Commonwealth Member States, which took place from June 24 to 25 in Kigali, the Rwandan capital.
A great satisfaction for these two French-speaking African countries, without historical ties with the United Kingdom, who waited for this solemn moment which is now part of their respective histories.
Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba announced Gabon’s desire to be part of the “big family” of the Commonwealth during his last New Year’s speech.
After the effective integration of his country into the intergovernmental organization, he declared on Twitter that “Gabon officially became a member of the Commonwealth on June 25, 2022. 62 years after independence, our country is about to open a new chapter in its history. Many opportunities are available to us economically, diplomatically & culturally” with this new reality.
For its part, Togo showed its ambition to be part of this English-speaking community last April, through a resolution of its National Assembly to support the process of joining the Commonwealth.
Togo “is motivated by the desire to expand its diplomatic, political and economic network (…) and to get closer to the English-speaking world,” Togolese Minister of Foreign Affairs Robert Dussey said on Saturday.
In the same vein, the Togolese Head of State declared on Twitter that “Togo’s accession to this great family is an evolution that we wanted with a view to strengthening cooperation between States and the mixing of peoples. I thank the member states of the Commonwealth for accepting our candidacy today.”
Rwanda, which hosted the Commonwealth summit, joined the organization in 2009. Its president, Paul Kagame, welcomed the two countries on behalf of all member states (54 in total).
“We have admitted Gabon and Togo as new members, and we welcome them all to the Commonwealth family,” he said during the press conference organized after the summit.
By OMA Newsletter N° 758 of 06/27/2022
Article published under the direction of Dr. Najib Kettani
The OMA, NGO with an Intercontinental vocation
For the development of cultural exchanges
Valuing human potential
The promotion and consolidation of Africa’s development, and
Inter-African integration
