Addis Ababa, November 7, 2026 (FMC) — African political parties have adopted the Addis Ababa Declaration, committing to strengthen their role in driving the continent’s economic transformation through capable public institutions, industrial development, sustained national development priorities and greater continental economic integration.
The declaration was adopted today at the conclusion of the Second African Political Parties Summit, held in Addis Ababa from November 5 to 7 under the theme “Governing for Growth: Political Parties as Architects of Africa’s Economic Future.”
In the declaration, leaders and representatives of participating political parties recognized that Africa’s economic transformation requires deliberate political choices, effective public institutions, sustained productive investment, technological advancement and continuity in national development priorities across successive political administrations.
They affirmed that political parties have a defining responsibility to develop capable states and productive economies through their political programs, institutional capacity and participation in constitutional processes.
The declaration calls on governing and opposition parties to articulate credible, long-term national development priorities supported by measurable objectives, implementation milestones and public accountability.
It also recognizes the role of opposition parties in scrutinizing the feasibility, costs and implementation of development programs, while urging governing parties to respond constructively to such scrutiny.
The parties reaffirmed their commitment to constitutional governance, democratic accountability, political pluralism, the rule of law, fundamental rights and freedoms, peaceful political competition and the rejection of unconstitutional changes of government. They also underscored the importance of preserving institutional memory, professional expertise and administrative continuity through constitutional political transitions.
On economic transformation, the declaration commits participating parties to advancing policies that promote industrialization, productive investment, enterprise development, technological capabilities and employment, particularly in manufacturing, agro-processing, modern agriculture, mineral beneficiation, digital industries and internationally competitive services.
It further affirms the sovereign right of African states to determine the development and utilization of their natural resources in accordance with international law, while promoting domestic value addition, stronger industrial capabilities and the equitable contribution of natural resource wealth to national prosperity.
The declaration also calls for stronger mobilization of domestic financial resources, deeper capital markets, effective development financing institutions and improved access to long-term investment capital. It emphasizes sound public financial management, transparent resource allocation, prudent debt governance and financing arrangements that support productive investment while safeguarding fiscal sustainability.
On continental integration, the political parties reaffirmed their commitment to the African Continental Free Trade Area and called for measures to expand intra-African trade, strengthen regional value chains and industrial cooperation, and improve energy systems, transport and logistics infrastructure, digital connectivity and trade facilitation.
They also called for fairer economic partnerships, improved access to technology and development finance, and greater African participation in global value chains and international economic decision-making.
The declaration gives particular attention to the role of young people and women in Africa’s political and economic development. It calls for stronger youth development institutions and the integration of youth priorities into education, technical training, industrialization, agriculture, technology, enterprise development and employment policies.
It also reaffirms the importance of women’s equal participation in political leadership, public administration and economic decision-making, committing participating parties to institutional reforms that expand women’s access to public authority, productive resources and positions of responsibility.
On political leadership development, the parties welcomed the establishment of the Council of African Political Party Schools and Institutes (CAPSI) within the African Political Parties Initiative (APPI), alongside the Political Academy for Transformational Leadership (PATL), as mechanisms to strengthen political education, policy research, institutional learning and leadership preparation across the continent.
The declaration also welcomed the commitment announced by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to contribute to the development of PATL and make Ethiopia’s leadership training opportunities accessible to political parties across Africa. It further recognized the African Youth in Politics Forum and the Africa Women Political Leadership Summit as continuing platforms for advancing youth and women’s participation in continental political cooperation.
A major forward-looking decision in the declaration is the formulation of APPI Agenda 2040, envisioned as a collective political framework through which participating parties will define shared aspirations, development priorities and measurable ambitions for Africa’s political, economic and institutional transformation.
The inaugural APPI Bureau Leadership, supported by the Secretariat, was mandated to undertake inclusive consultations with participating political parties and present a proposed framework for consideration at the next African Political Party Summit. The agenda is intended to complement the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and translate continental development aspirations into political programs and sustained commitments.
The declaration also welcomed the adoption of the APPI Charter on November 6, 2026, by heads of political parties and delegations at the Summit’s closed-door session. It recognizes the Charter as the initiative’s governing constitutional instrument, establishing its institutional framework, organs and leadership arrangements under the Africa Governance Center (AGC).
Participating parties further welcomed the endorsement of the inaugural APPI Bureau Leadership for a three-year term and affirmed the commencement of the initiative’s constitutional transition in accordance with the Charter and agreed arrangements.
The APPI Bureau Leadership was tasked with facilitating follow-up on the declaration’s commitments, promoting the exchange of national experiences and institutional practices, and presenting periodic progress reports to the African Political Party Summit.
The declaration concluded with a reaffirmation of the collective responsibility of African political parties to uphold constitutional governance, strengthen public institutions, advance productive economic transformation and pursue the long-term prosperity of African peoples through responsible political leadership and sustained continental cooperation.
Adopted in Addis Ababa on November 7, the declaration also expressed appreciation to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed for his patronage of the Summit and to the Government and people of Ethiopia and the Prosperity Party for hosting the gathering and its associated forums.