Africa Governance Centre Participates in The Inaugural Inter-Continental Dialogue among Political Parties in Seoul, South Korea

AGC was represented by its Executive Chair, Ms. Benedicta Lasi, Esq., who led the African delegation under the African Political Parties Initiative (APPI), an initiative led by the Africa Governance Centre to advance dialogue, cooperation and knowledge exchange among political parties and democratic actors across Africa.

The African delegation brought together political leaders and senior representatives from across the continent, including the Deputy Prime Minister of Ethiopia, underscoring the high-level African engagement in the dialogue. Ms. Lasi’s leadership provided an opportunity to bring African experiences and perspectives into discussions on the future of democracy, political parties, political participation and governance.

A key outcome of the dialogue was the adoption of the Seoul Declaration, which reaffirmed the importance of dialogue, cooperation and mutual understanding in addressing political polarisation and other challenges facing democratic societies.

The Centre’s participation in the dialogue underscores its commitment to ensuring that African perspectives are represented in global conversations on democracy, political parties and governance. Through APPI, AGC continues to promote political dialogue, policy engagement and partnerships aimed at strengthening accountable, inclusive and effective governance across Africa. Ms. Lasi’s participation also provided an opportunity to share African experiences while engaging with political actors and institutions from other regions on approaches to strengthening democratic institutions, political participation and public trust.

The meeting is expected to become a continuing platform for international political cooperation, with Türkiye scheduled to host the second ICDPP meeting in Istanbul in March 2027. AGC’s participation in Seoul marks another step in its efforts to build international partnerships, elevate African perspectives and contribute African expertise to global conversations shaping the future of democracy and governance.