GHANA: Former senator Mushahid Hussain Syed, addressing a gathering of African political parties, called for emulating the “Mandela Model” of reconciliation in Asia and shed light on Pakistan’s historic and strong relations with Africa.
He was specially invited to speak at the first-ever conference of African political parties, joining the ranks of leading Asian figures. The event, hosted in Ghana, brought together over 200 representatives from more than 40 African countries.
Mushahid was invited in his capacity as Co-Chairman of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP) and President of PAIDAR, Pakistan’s first Africa-focused think tank.
During his visit as an official guest of the Ghanaian government, he held important meetings with Ghana’s Vice President Jane Naana, Chief of Staff Julius Debrah, Ethiopia’s Deputy Prime Minister Ibrahim Farah, and other leaders.
In his speech, Mushahid recalled Pakistan’s consistent policy of supporting African independence movements in Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Eritrea, Somalia, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. He also cited the 1955 Bandung Conference, co-hosted by Pakistan, which laid the foundation for Afro-Asian solidarity.
Sharing his personal experiences across Africa—including visits to South Africa, Rwanda, Angola, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Egypt, Algeria, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia—he also recalled welcoming Nelson Mandela to Pakistan in 1999 as Information Minister.
Mushahid introduced PAIDAR as Pakistan’s pioneering Africa-focused think tank, now a key platform for fostering Pakistan-Africa ties. Praising the “Mandela Model” as a peaceful and democratic path suitable for Asia, he highlighted its three core principles: Generosity in policy — “forgive and forget” to move societies forward; Rejection of revenge politics — avoiding grudges and retribution; and Inclusive, institutional democracy — respecting public office as a trust, exemplified by Mandela’s voluntary step-down after one term.
He hailed Mandela’s principled stance on self-determination for Palestine and Kashmir, describing him as a moral statesman.
Mushahid termed the 21st century as the “renaissance of the Global South,” encompassing Asia, Africa, and Latin America. He paid tribute to Ghana’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah, for his Pan-African leadership, and visited his mausoleum in Accra.
Assuring African leaders of stronger Pakistan-Africa ties, Mushahid stressed collaboration in diplomacy, trade, investment, education, IT, mining, and critical minerals.
During the visit, he also addressed Pakistan’s Independence Day gathering with the community in Ghana and met representatives of African think tanks, media, and business circles.
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