Category: English

Source: APO

Following addresses by speakers from Africa and beyond, and fruitful deliberations, we, Cardinals, Archbishops, and Bishops, members of SECAM (www.SECAM.org), address this message to the Church, the Family of God in Africa and its Islands, as well as to all people of goodwill.

In our Final Message of the 19th Plenary Assembly, held in Accra, Ghana, from 25 July to 1 August 2022, we recalled “the great insecurity reigning in several regions of our continent, due to socio-political instability, violence, economic poverty, weak health structures, insurgency, terrorism, the exploitation of religion for political purposes, and the lack of respect for the environment and good governance.” These challenges persist and remain to be fully overcome, but they should not be a reason to fall into despair. For with Christ and through Him, an essential virtue can fill our hearts and allow us to look toward the future with confidence and hope. Christ is the Source of hope for Africa and its peoples.

1. Hope at the Heart of Our Lives

Before returning to the Father’s house, Pope Francis set the whole Church on the path of synodality. It is within this framework that our meeting this year takes place, bearing witness to our collective reflection on how we walk together over the next 25 years. As we know, synod means “walking together.” But we can only walk together if we share a common goal. Our goal is to make Christ ever more present in our communities and in our lives. Christ is the ultimate purpose of our synodal journey; He is the foundation of our hope and the reason we carry our cross in His footsteps. He is our hope and the way (John 14:6) that leads us to the fullness of truth and abundant life (John 10:10).

Christian hope is rooted in the primacy of the Kingdom of God. It is a promise of God’s reign among people of goodwill. This entails a life of faith and obedience to God; a God who provides for the needs of all who trust in Him: “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Mt. 6:33).

We exhort all Christians in Africa and its Islands to open their hearts to this hope that Christ, the “Resurrection and the Life in abundance,” offers, so they may be freed from all forms of death that confront them in daily life. It is timely to recall the prophetic words of Saint Pope John Paul II at his inauguration in Saint Peter’s Square on 22 October 1978: “Do not be afraid! Open wide the doors for Christ and His saving power. Open the boundaries of States, political and economic systems, as well as the vast fields of culture, development, and civilization. Do not be afraid!”

The challenge of being the “architects of the Africa we want” ultimately involves opening up the horizons of hope, so that we may grow into our full humanity as children of God, called to the newness of the Gospel that sets us free from all evil (cf. Instrumentum Laboris, October 2023).

Christian hope is not to be confused with a mere mental projection detached from reality. It is an active commitment, a presence in the name of the Lord Jesus, alongside those who suffer, who endure injustice, and who are cast aside by the powerful of this world. Following Christ, the Church in Africa and Madagascar must embrace the preferential option for the poor, as taught by her Master. “Proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient” (2 Tim 4:2), following the example of Saint Paul, calls for bold words that challenge and disrupt the status quo. Saint John Paul II even stated that “a sign of contradiction” could be “a distinctive definition of Christ and His Church.”

“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves” (Mt. 10:16), Jesus warned His disciples, yet He immediately added this reassuring promise: “And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Mt. 28:20).

Therefore, despite the difficulties of the mission, the presence of Jesus remains a source of hope for “a Church that goes forth,” as Pope Francis says; a Church made up of Christians actively building a new world, a new heaven, and a new earth that has been promised to us. These are Christians who transform humanity into the Family of God and work to make it inhabit the Kingdom of God.

On June 15, a young Congolese layman, Floribert Bwana Chui, was beatified in Rome. He was assassinated in 2007 in Goma for refusing to allow spoiled food products to enter the country in exchange for a bribe. Pope Francis paid tribute to this young man, recognized as a “martyr of honesty and moral integrity.” We encourage our African youth to bear witness to Gospel values.

The Kampala Document called for the creation of a new Africa: “An Africa of the baptized who are conscious that their vocation, intrinsically linked to their identity, is to cling to the person of Jesus Christ, to remain in Him, to be transformed by the Holy Spirit in the love of the Father, and to work so that the reign of God may spread more deeply within the heart of African societies” (no. 131).

2. Christ, Source of Reconciliation and Peace

Interethnic and interstate tensions in various African regions result only in human impoverishment, which in turn triggers further deprivation that paralyzes the entire continent. No one truly wins in a conflict, whatever its nature. Reconciliation, forgiveness, and peace are essential elements for the development of all dimensions of human life. As Saint Paul insists: “We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake, He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor 5:20-21).

Reconciliation between people, and even more so between Christians, must find its foundation in God’s reconciliation with all humanity through the Lord Jesus.

We, your Pastors, believe that our mission, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, is to call all baptized persons in conflict to reconciliation and forgiveness, so that the harmony and peaceful coexistence established by Christ’s salvific act may become a lifestyle for all.

Reconciliation and peace are indeed “a path of hope” in that they reveal the true nature of the human person as intrinsically oriented toward others. The proclamation of this message of hope is all the more urgent in light of the continued reality, tragically, where “so many men and women, children and the elderly, are denied their dignity, their physical integrity, their freedom, including religious freedom, deprived of community solidarity and of hope for the future. Countless innocent victims bear the burden of humiliation and exclusion, of bereavement and injustice, and even the trauma of systematic persecution directed against their people and loved ones.”

Peace among the sons and daughters of the Church in Africa and the Islands, baptized in Christ, must be uncompromising and unconditional. It must be rooted in the gratuitous gift of God given through Christ by the Holy Spirit. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives,” said Jesus (John 14:27). It is in this spirit that Pope Leo XIV, on the day of his election, solemnly declared: “It is the peace of the Risen Christ, disarming, humble, and persevering. It comes from God, who loves us all unconditionally.”

The Church, as a witness to the suffering of peoples in areas plagued by armed conflict, must commit itself more vigorously to awareness-raising and concrete action for peace.

Educating the younger generations in the ways of peace must be among her priorities, so that every man and woman of Africa and Madagascar may become a channel of God’s peace in Christ Jesus.

We seize this opportunity to appeal to all our political leaders to have at heart the wellbeing of the peoples they govern, to protect the weakest, and to promote dialogue and a better way of living together.

Saint Pope Paul VI, in his encyclical Populorum Progressio (1967), launched a message that remains highly relevant to our continent today: “Development is the new name for peace.” In other words, peace is a sine qua non for the emergence of a healthy environment—one that alone can ensure the foundational elements of social and economic progress. However, this peace, which opens the way to development, can only be true if it is rooted in its Source, who is Christ. In the words of Saint Paul, and with firm conviction in our prophetic mission, we never cease to wish for our continent: “Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph. 6:23).

3. Walking Together as the Church-Family of God

The message that SECAM seeks to place in the hearts of the sons and daughters of Africa and Madagascar at this 20th Plenary Assembly carries a twofold dimension: first, to rekindle and live out our true identity as the Church-Family of God; God as our Father, the Church as our Mother, and others as our brothers and sisters; second, to fully embrace the great mission of reconciliation.

Because we are human and often wound one another, we constantly need to heal and restore our relationships. Reconciliation, whose source is Christ, enables us to mend broken bonds. Through this healing, we are called to live in justice and peace. This is the mission entrusted to us by the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops: “The face of evangelization today takes the name of reconciliation, an indispensable condition for establishing relationships of justice among people in Africa and for building a just and lasting peace that respects each person and all peoples. It is a peace open to the contributions of all people of goodwill, beyond religious, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, and social affiliations.” (Africae Munus, no. 174)

To walk and live as the Church-Family of God means to be in right relationship with God and with one another. It means recognizing God as our Father, the Church as our Mother, and ourselves as brothers and sisters. This image calls us to a life of communion, love, and mutual responsibility.

Today, Christ sends us forth on mission: to renew our understanding and practice of being a Family of God, and to serve our communities and our continent with the Gospel of reconciliation, justice, and peace.

In the Kampala Document of 2019, we expressed a similar vision: “The Church is a family of people united by life, mutual acceptance, love, commitment, celebration of faith, forgiveness, joy, and sharing. It is a community for building justice, peace, solidarity, and fraternity, lived out in word and deed.” Understood in this way, the Church-Family of God becomes a true cradle for the birth and growth of hope, reconciliation, and peace.

Conclusion

In this Jubilee Year, we recall that the fundamental mission of all the baptized is to be messengers and builders of hope.

Thus, the Church-Family of God in Africa and its Islands proposes a vision for the next 25 years, a vision rooted in Christ our Hope and structured around twelve pillars:

1. Evangelization (Catholic Education and theological tradition)

2. A self-reliant Church

3. Family model of leadership

4. Formation on missionary discipleship and synodality.

5. Care of creation

6. The youth and the renewal of the Church

7. Justice, Peace and Integral human development

8. Ecumenism and interfaith dialogue

9. Mission in the digital environment

10. The health of the people of God

11. Liturgical life of the African Church

12. Church and Politic

May the Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Africa, accompany the Church on our continent, so that she may bear witness to Jesus, our Peace and our Hope.

Kigali, 4^th August 2025

+ Fridolin Cardinal Ambongo
Archbishop of Kinshasa
President of SECAM

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM).

Source: APO

VUKA Group (www.WeAreVUKA.com) is pleased to announce the appointment of Alex Searle, a 4× founder, community builder, communications & AI advisor and speaker, as its new consultant Head of AI Enablement & Human Systems.

The creation of this role takes place at a critical inflection point in the conferencing and media sector, where the impact of AI-driven automation, shifting audience expectations and exponential technologies is rapidly transforming how events are conceived, produced and experienced.

Alex and CEO David Ashdown first collaborated across South African ventures nearly 10 years ago, where their shared passion for exponential technologies and the power of human-centered AI was first born.

‘All business, irrelevant of industry verticals are at the point of disruption, and that is driven by the role of AI. It has become very real to me that if we fail to embrace AI now, we risk becoming obsolete, and I will not allow that to happen to VUKA Group’ says David Ashdown. ‘That sounds like a strong statement, but I observe the world around me, and the approach to business is evolving fast and it’s driven by technology. I have been in the conference industry for over 25 years and for 23 of those years we have seen incremental change in operating process. In contrast, in the last 2 years we have witnessed exponential shifts in how we operate and the Board at VUKA Group has made a conscious decision to accelerate AI adoption and redeploy our human capital around a balanced blend of human and digital capability. It is critical to our evolution. This allows our people to focus on what they do best: creating the space for connection and innovation to flourish.’

VUKA Group’s digital transformation now has an existential purpose: to harness AI as an opportunity – not a threat – to cement its position as Africa’s leading conferencing and media innovator.

Alex’s appointment is a clear reflection of the VUKA Group’s commitment to defining its own digital future rather than being subjected to external forces. Guided by the exponential models and principles of Open ExO, Alex will spearhead this ambitious transformation. Ashdown comments ‘I am grateful that Alex joins us at this critical time, and I know he will create a deployment model that blends human skills with AI platforms that change the nature of work output. Alex is passionate about the importance of humanising AI and we are excited to work with him.’

‘I’m genuinely thrilled to join VUKA at this pivotal moment,’ adds Alex. ‘Together, we’ll harness AI to amplify human creativity, reimagine how events are experienced and build a future-proof playbook that keeps VUKA and its clients many steps ahead in a rapidly evolving world.’ t: +27 21 700 3500 f: +27 21 700 3501 e: info@wearevuka.com w: www.WeAreVUKA.com

From introducing new AI tools and interconnecting rich organisational intelligence to embedding AI fluency as a core business capability, this new initiative will ensure that every team benefits from greater consistency, better time management and higher-quality output – all of which will translate into more impactful conference & exhibition experiences.

As the founder of Humble Mind, Alex also comes with rich strategy and execution experience across communications, media, community-building. He is the host of The Humble Mind Podcast, which has welcomed CEO David Ashdown and Dominic Wilhelm, Executive Director, of The Global Trust Project (a VUKA Group venture)

A respected thought leader with a substantial LinkedIn following, Alex advises on the human-AI synthesis driving leadership, company culture, trust and how the elements come together to drive outcomes.

‘I’m confident that, together, we will evolve our business model, empower our teams and coach our people to be career secure in an evolving disrupted marketplace. We are confident AI will further contribute to creating unforgettable experiences across Africa and beyond for our attendees and trusted clients.’ notes David Ashdown.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of VUKA Group.

About VUKA Group:
VUKA Group connects people and organisations to information and each other, across Africa’s energy, mining, infrastructure, mobility, green economy and technology sectors through innovative events, content, and strategic networking. By integrating industry introductions, curated events, and digital engagement, the group empowers businesses to navigate complex markets, forge valuable connections, and drive sustainable success.

Venture partners to The Global Trust Project, Founders of WomenIN empowerment platform and leaders of NPO, Go Green Africa. The VUKA Group’s diverse portfolio acts to contribute to its purpose of ‘Connecting Africa to the World’s Best, to Influence Sustainable Progress’

Discover more at www.WeAreVUKA.com

About Alex Searle:
Alex Searle is a 4x entrepreneur, speaker, community builder and advisor in human-AI collaboration, communication and community-building. Known for empowering leaders and organisations to harness AI effectively without losing sight of human strengths, Alex’s approach combines practical tools with curiosity-driven innovation.

He is also the founder of Humble Mind, which is a community-building consultancy that helps individual professionals and organisations cultivate high-value online communities built around social learning and meaningful connection.

Learn more at: https://Alex-Searle.com/ https://HumbleMind.co/

Source: APO

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The country’s poor state of road infrastructure and rising fatalities dominated the plenary sitting in Parliament, with MPs demanding urgent action from government to address funding gaps, stalled road works and worsening road safety conditions.

During plenary on Wednesday, 6 August 2025, Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among, led the call for a more proactive and comprehensive approach to both road maintenance and safety, following a series of tragic road accidents including one along the Hoima–Buliisa Road in Kigorobya on Tuesday night that claimed the lives of at least 20 traders and left others injured.

“As we strive to improve the state of roads, we should also emphasise road safety,” said Among.

She cited the 2024 Annual Crime Report by the Uganda Police Force, which recorded 25,107 road crashes and 25,808 casualties. Among warned that unsafe road conditions combined with reckless behaviour and weak enforcement have created a deadly combination.

Lawmakers expressed alarm over the state of roads across the country, citing dilapidated stretches, stalled projects, delayed compensation, and failure by the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) to utilise allocated budgets.

Kyaka Central MP Hon. Bright Amooti lamented the state of the Kyegegwa–Kakumiro Road, where over 15 trucks remain parked due to impassable conditions.

“That road has been controlled by the Fort Portal station of UNRA and it is no longer in action,” he said.

Hon. Gorreth Namugga (NUP, Mawogola South) demanded immediate funding for critical needs, including Shs1.1 trillion in arrears and Shs850 billion for periodic maintenance.

“We are here for money. We are not here to lament,” she stressed.

Responding to the concerns, Minister for Works and Transport, Gen. Edward Katumba Wamala, warned of escalating fiscal losses if the maintenance backlog is not addressed urgently.

“Rehabilitation costs about Shs2.59 billion per kilometer, three times the cost of periodic maintenance. Failure to act could result in a preventable loss of up to Shs180 billion,” Katumba said.

He revealed the Ministry faces a Shs2.472 trillion funding gap for the financial year 2025/2026, including Shs1.071 trillion in arrears and Shs443 billion needed for land acquisition. As of July 2025, 27 road projects; 18 government-funded and nine donor-supported—have stalled or slowed due to delayed payments and lack of counterpart funding.

Contractors, he added, have now been engaged for roads including Mityana–Mubende, Nebbi–Arua, Ishaka–Mbarara, and Mpondwe. In response to complaints about Kyegegwa–Kyenjojo Road, a road unit previously working on Jinja Road has been redeployed to rehabilitate the affected stretch.

Speaker Among, however, raised broader concerns about road quality and Uganda’s dependency on external funding.

“Most roads we have do not last. And by the time we are rehabilitating them, we are still paying loans for their construction,” she said, referencing a recent presidential directive against over-reliance on donor financing.

Among listed several once functional roads now in disrepair including Mityana–Mubende, Mukono–Jinja, Ibanda–Mbarara and Mbarara–Ishaka, and revealed that President Museveni had directed the Minister of Finance to allocate Shs3.2 trillion specifically for these roads.

Minister Katumba also noted that 23 regional stations had become operational following staff absorption issues, and these are expected to bolster ongoing road maintenance efforts.

The conversation quickly turned to road safety, with MPs warning that poor infrastructure, reckless driving, inadequate signage, and unregulated transport systems were exacerbating the crisis.

Kalungu West MP, Hon. Joseph Ssewungu, called on the Committee on Physical Infrastructure to prioritise road markings and signage to improve visibility, especially at night.

Rakai District Woman MP, Hon. Juliet Kinyamatama, proposed the development of a more affordable and reliable transportation system for traders, blaming current business transport costs for dangerous improvisation.

State Minister for Internal Affairs, Hon. David Muhoozi, acknowledged serious gaps in road safety enforcement and promised a multi-faceted strategy.

“There are good traffic officers, but also bad apples. We are considering a road safety inspection unit and expanding CCTV coverage to monitor rogue behaviour,” he told the House.

Speaker Among said that it is now Parliament’s role to make a follow-up and ensure that the issue of the roads are worked on.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.