Remarks by Director General ISSI, Ambassador Sohail Mahmood, at the “Celebrate Africa Day 2025” event, ISSI, 26 May 2025
It is a distinct pleasure to welcome everyone to the Institute of Strategic Studies for the celebration of “Africa Day 2025.” I extend warm greetings to all the Heads of African Missions in Islamabad who have joined us in-person; and to the Heads of Pakistan Missions in African capitals who are with us online. Through their untiring efforts, these Envoys are making an invaluable contribution to the growth and expansion of Pakistan-Africa relations. We look forward to hearing their perspectives on how to further strengthen and enrich this process.
We are privileged to have His Excellency Mohammad Karmoune, Dean of the African Corps and Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco to Pakistan as the keynote speaker. During his long and illustrious stint in Islamabad, Ambassador Karmoune has contributed enormously, both to the deepening of Pakistan-Morocco bilateral relations and to Pakistan’s engagement with the African continent. I take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude for his valuable endeavors.
We are honoured to have online participation of the Foreign Secretary of Pakistan, Ambassador Amna Baloch. She wished to personally participate in this commemorative event, but her other pressing engagements did not allow her to do so. Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch has graciously shared her views on Pakistan-Africa relations through a video message, for which we are immensely grateful.
Last, but not the least, we are delighted to welcome again Additional Foreign Secretary (Africa), Ambassador Hamid Asghar Khan, to the ISSI as the Guest of Honour. His vast experience of African affairs, his inexhaustible energy, and his firm commitment to forging multi-dimensional collaboration with African partners serve as key drivers. There is no doubt that the Pakistan-Africa partnership would scale newer heights during his stewardship.
Distinguished participants,
‘Africa Day’ is globally observed every year on 25 May as a day to reflect upon the rich history, cultural diversity, and growing dynamism of the African continent. Commemorating the founding of the Organisation of the African Union (AU), ‘Africa Day’ celebrates the collective struggles and aspirations of African nations in their pursuit of freedom, dignity, progress, and prosperity. It is a powerful reminder of the values that bind us all together—resilience, self-determination, and a shared commitment to peace, justice, and sustainable development. This year marks the 62nd anniversary of AU’s founding, and I extend our warmest felicitations to all our African friends on this milestone occasion.
The ‘Africa Day’ also provides us the opportunity to reaffirm Pakistan’s abiding support and solidarity for the African nations and their fraternal peoples. With each passing year, we inject more vigour, dynamism, and substance into this flourishing partnership. Each year, a new chapter is added to this story of enduring friendship and growing collaboration.
Pakistan’s long-standing relations with Africa have always been marked by exceptional warmth and cordiality as well as mutual respect and a sense of shared destiny. Pakistan was among the most ardent supporters of the liberation struggles of African nations and their inalienable right to self-determination. Pakistan extended political, diplomatic and material support for their just cause. While many African leaders and freedom fighters travelled on passports issued by the Pakistan government, the UN chambers and other international fora resonated strongly with the echo of Pakistan’s unambiguous and unwavering support of African nations’ independence, sovereignty and statehood.
In the post-independence era, Pakistan has contributed to peace and security in Africa through participation in innumerable UN peacekeeping operations since the 1960s. Pakistani peacekeepers have served with distinction in numerous African countries, upholding the values of peace, impartiality, and respect for human rights. Their efforts have helped restore stability in conflict-affected regions and supported the reconstruction of war-torn communities.
In recent decades, the world’s perceptions about Africa have radically transformed. Betraying strategic myopia, The Economist in the year 2000 described it as a “hopeless continent.” By 2011, Africa was acknowledged as the “rising continent.” Today, Africa is universally viewed as the “continent of the future.” Indeed, only strategic myopia could impel anyone to miss the enormously important geography, demography, natural wealth, and economic potential of Africa. With over 1.4 billion people, a combined GDP of over $ 3 trillion, the world’s largest free trade area in the shape of AfCFTA, and a permanent member of the G20, Africa today figures prominently in the strategic calculus of all major powers and regional and international organisations.
Within this backdrop, it should be understood that Pakistan’s approach towards Africa is guided by a multitude of factors — the shared historical experience, the struggle for de-colonization, consistent participation in peace-keeping missions, recognition of Africa’s immense economic potential, imperatives of South-South cooperation, and Islamabad’s pivot to geo-economics. Small wonder thus that our relationship continues to evolve towards a strategic partnership based on shared interests and mutual benefit.
The year 2019 witnessed a watershed development with the launch of Pakistan’s “Engage Africa” policy. Building on the earlier effort of ‘Look Africa’, the twin purposes of “Engage Africa” have been to expand Pakistan’s diplomatic footprint in Africa and deepen economic engagement with the Continent. This policy led to the establishment of 5 new Pakistani missions in African countries and upgradation of several existing ones. In turn, we are delighted to welcome the opening of resident missions of Ethiopia, Zimbabwe and Rwanda. A series of exclusive trade and investment events have been organised in Nairobi, Lagos, Johannesburg, and Cairo. Another one in Addis Ababa is envisaged in the near future. This policy framework has helped increase mutual trade and open up new avenues for investment, capacity-building, and development. It has also fostered closer cooperation in areas from security to education to people-to-people exchanges.
Another landmark development just took place on 22 May, when the Senate of Pakistan held a Special Session and unanimously adopted a Resolution emphasizing the significance of Pakistan-Africa relations and designating 25 May as the “Pakistan-Africa Friendship Day.” The distinguished Heads of African Missions were present in the Senate gallery on this historic occasion. Besides strengthening Parliamentary ties between Pakistan and Africa, this landmark initiative will further fortify Pakistan-Africa partnership in various dimensions.
Distinguished participants,
I would like to also highlight that the Institute of Strategic Studies has been in the vanguard of efforts to promote Pakistan-Africa relations. In this regard, we have closely collaborated with the Foreign Ministry and our HoMs in Africa and held joint events; regularly organised celebration of ‘Africa Day’ for several years now; instituted formal ISSI-Africa Dialogue with African HoMs in Islamabad; commemorated ‘Nelson Mandela Day’; published special reports and studies on different facets of Pakistan-Africa relations; initiated collaborative relationships with counterpart think-tanks in Africa; and engaged academics, practitioners, policymakers, business leaders, youth, the media, and African diaspora.
We were honoured to welcome His Excellency Olivier Jean Patrick Nduhungirehe, the Foreign Minister of Rwanda, to the ISSI on 22 April 2025. His talk on Rwanda’s role in rising Africa was as illuminating as it was inspiring.
This year, the ISSI is marking ‘Africa Day’ with the publication of another special report, titled “From Shared Struggles to Strategic Partnerships: Historical Evolution of Pakistan-Africa Relations.” This report presents a comprehensive account of the historical depth and future promise of Pakistan-Africa relations. It documents how our ties have transitioned from a foundation of solidarity during anti-colonial struggles to a growing partnership across myriad domains.
Let me conclude by extending our warmest greetings and heartfelt congratulations, once again, to all our African brothers and sisters on the occasion of ‘Africa Day 2025.’ Let me also thank Director Amina Khan and her CAMEA team for their valuable work in organising this celebration and putting together the special report in collaboration with a large number of contributors. May Africa continue to rise and achieve the greatness it is destined for in the years to come. Ameen!
Thank you.
