(AFP) – A group of 54 countries, mostly former British colonies, received applications for membership from Togo and Gabon on the last day of the leadership summit in Rwanda.
“We welcome Gabon and Togo as new members and welcome them all to the Commonwealth family,” Rwandan President Paul Kagame said at the close of the press conference.
The Francophone states of West Africa are the first new members to join the Commonwealth of Nations since Rwanda in 2009.
Robert Dassi, Togo’s foreign minister, said the membership opened the door to the Commonwealth’s 2.5 billion consumers, opened up new educational opportunities and created a “crazy” for English among his fellow countrymen.
“Togo’s membership stems from its desire to expand its diplomatic, political and economic network and to be closer to the English-speaking world,” he told AFP.
He also added that it has allowed the small and developing country of 8.5 million to reconsider its bilateral relations with the UK outside the European Union after Brexit.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (left) and Rwandan President Paul Kagame watch dancers during the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, held at the Kigali Convention Center in Kigali on June 24, 2022. Commonwealth leaders are biennially… Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) hosted on a rotating basis by various member states. A total of 24 meetings have been held since 1971, the most recent in 2018. (Photo: Dan Kitwood/POOL/AFP) (Photo: Dan Kitwood/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Analysts said that French-speaking states have also sought Commonwealth membership in recent years to renounce France.
Togolese political scientist Mohamed Madi Jabakate said the move will be popular as French influence in Togo is often responsible for economic problems.
“Togo’s accession to the Commonwealth is better for many people than changing the French language and culture, which is ultimately not conducive to development,” he told AFP.
“make history”
Rwanda’s own membership comes at a time of great tension between Kigali and Paris, and the East African state has maintained close ties with Britain since its landfall, including a controversial immigration deal discussed this year.
Gabonese President Ali Bongo said his country was “making history” by joining the group.
“Sixty-two years after independence, our country is preparing to enter a new page,” Bongo said on Twitter.
“This is a world of opportunities for Gabon at the economic, diplomatic and cultural level.”
Their recognition was a boon to the Commonwealth during the renewed debate about their importance and purpose.
Kigali, Rwanda – June 23: UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson (left) with Freddie Mutanguha, CEO of Aegis Trust, visits the Wall of Remembrance at the Kigali Genocide Memorial on June 23, 2022 in Kigali, Rwanda. Commonwealth leaders meet every two years at the Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM), hosted alternately by the various member states. A total of 24 meetings have been held since 1971, most recently in the UK in 2018. (Photo: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the interest in new members has proven that the organization is alive and well.
But it can also raise questions about the Commonwealth’s commitment to good governance and democracy as core values of its charter.
Oil-rich Gabon, a former French colony on the Atlantic coast, has been run by the Bongo family for 55 years.
Ali Bongo took over after his father’s death and returned to power in 2016 after an election marred by allegations of deadly violence and fraud.
A former German colony and later French, Togo has also been under dynastic rule for more than half a century.
General Gnassingbe Eyadema ruled by hand from 1967 until his death in 2005, after which his son Faure Gnassingbe came to power.
He was re-elected in polls against the entire opposition.
Originating from the British Empire, the Commonwealth represents one-third of humanity and includes countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas.
Mozambique, a former Portuguese colony, became the first member of the Commonwealth to have no historical ties to Britain when it joined in 1995.
Bridges burning while traveling: Harry and Meghan scold the ‘disturbing’ Commonwealth
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Source: Breitbart
