No.50 Mazrui’s Pan-Africanism: A Post-TICAD 9 Commentary

Pan-Africanism has a long pedigree. It has meant many things for varied people at different times. But its contemporary expression boils down to the quest for peace, good governance and economic development in Africa. And no one I have known or read about grappled with Pan-Africanism both as an idea and ideal more passionately, more eloquently, more systematically, and for a longer period than the Kenyan-born academic Ali Mazrui (1933-2014). Mazrui’s Pan-Africanism is as such a product of rigorous thinking, and its many elements have remarkably stood the test of time. This paper is about the evolution and development of Mazrui’s Pan-Africanism. In the wake of the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development, which took place in Yokohama, Japan, from August 20 to 22, 2025, (—hence the prefix “post” in the subtitle of the paper—), this paper seeks to introduce Mazrui’s undiluted and rich Pan-Africanism concisely and comprehensively, particularly drawing on his works that are less known or not known at all outside the narrow circle of his fan club. Apart from chronology, TICAD is connected to the theme of this paper in another way: TICAD is concerned, among other things, with the question of how the African condition can be improved and how Japan can contribute to this process. Yet the major preoccupation of this Discussion Paper (DP) is Mazrui’s thoughts on Pan-Africanism which are rooted in his flagship concept of “Africa’s triple heritage”. The DP seeks to make the case that they are timely and critically relevant for Africa today and should be studied with greater vigor and seriousness.

Keywords: Development, Ali Mazrui, Pan-Africanism, Peace, Post-colonialism