AFJN to Participate in SECAM Justice and Peace Congress in Seychelles

The Africa Faith and Justice Network (AFJN) has accepted an invitation from the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) to participate in its upcoming Congress for Justice and Peace Commissions. The Congress will be held in Seychelles from December 7 to 11, 2026, under the theme, “The Church in Africa at the service of creation, social justice and promotion of the common good.”

The gathering will bring together bishops, coordinators of regional and selected national Justice and Peace Commissions, SECAM representatives, staff, and partners. Participants will assess the Church’s response to major political, economic, social, and environmental challenges across Africa and identify opportunities for stronger collaboration. The Congress will address issues including good governance and peaceful elections, conflict and peacebuilding, corruption, migration and human trafficking, land and extractive industries, environmental degradation, and climate change.

AFJN’s participation continues a relationship with SECAM that spans more than a decade. At a 2012 SECAM forum in Tanzania, AFJN presented on Catholic Social Teaching, community empowerment, and good governance, while highlighting land grabbing and the need for stronger civil society. In 2015, this shared agenda advanced through the SECAM Land Grab Conference in Kenya, where participants committed to coordinated community education, networking, and policy advocacy to protect land rights and resist exploitative deals.

This collaboration is reinforced by AFJN’s land-grabbing prevention work in Ghana since 2014, including community education, legal awareness, responsible investment, and advocacy for transparent land agreements. During a recent Ghana visit, an AFJN team met with representatives at SECAM’s headquarters to explore further collaboration. AFJN also participated when SECAM shared its new 25-year plan with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The Seychelles Congress advances this shared commitment to justice and closer engagement between the Church in Africa and the United States.

For AFJN, the Congress is closely aligned with its mission and ongoing work. AFJN promotes just governance, peacebuilding, environmental stewardship, responsible land and natural-resource policies, human dignity, and the protection of marginalized communities. Participation in Seychelles will allow AFJN to share lessons from its work, learn from Church leaders and partners across Africa, and explore practical areas for joint advocacy and action.

AFJN’s presence at the Congress is part of a broader commitment to deepen AFJN’s work with the African Church, strengthen connections between the Church in Africa and the United States, and support coordinated responses to the challenges affecting communities across the continent. AFJN looks forward to contributing to the Congress and to building sustained collaboration with SECAM around the shared thematic priorities identified for the gathering.