On May 25, the African population worldwide and the international community joined the African Union (AU) to commemorate Africa Day 2025. In line with the AU’s 2025 theme: ‘Justice for Africans and People of African Descent through Reparations’. the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, urged Africans to take ownership of their destiny by uniting to demand justice and transformation.
Africa Day 2025, celebrated annually on 25 May across the African continent and in the diaspora, is dedicated to historical reparations, in line with the AU’s 2025 theme: ‘Justice for Africans and people of African descent through reparations’. Speaking in Addis Ababa, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, urged Africans to take ownership of their destiny by uniting to demand justice and transformation.
« As Africans, it is our responsibility to assert our values and reaffirm our convictions, thereby gaining the respect of all nations through our ability to influence the global arena. Pan-Africanism was founded by our forefathers on the legitimate aspirations of our peoples and a number of strategic goals reflecting critical thinking about the future of this continent and its peoples »
Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Chairperson of the African Union Commission – Djibouti
The commemoration of Africa Day generates a deep sense of pride in African identity, culture and heritage. For Africans, it is also a day of great significance, as it commemorates the creation of the Organisation of African Union on 25 May 1963. While reflecting on the ills that still undermine Africa’s development and the continent’s struggle to free itself from conflict, underdevelopment and war, the acting Chairman of the AU, João Lourenço, advocates the principles of solidarity and mutual respect between African states.
We advocate for the respect of the principles of solidarity, cooperation and mutual respect so can we can continue to build a more integrated Africa where borders become bridges and not barriers.
João Lourenço, Acting Chairman of the AU – Angola
Africa is home to around 1.4 billion people, almost 17% of the world’s population. The continent also has 30% of the world’s mineral resources and 60% of the world’s unexploited arable land, according to the World Bank. To achieve the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the ‘Africa we want by 2030’, the African Union Commission, in commemorating Africa Day 2025, stressed the need for political stability, good governance and dialogue between African states.
