Session 12 of the African Bar Association Annual Conference in Accra, Ghana, focuses on “Towards an African Charter of Family Sovereignty and Values.” The session, chaired by Augustine Richard Kakeeto, features Amb. Omer Dahab F. Mohamed, Hon. Ashems Christopher Songwe, Angela Dwamena-Aboagye, PhD, and Charles Kanjama SC as panelists.
The discussion will examine how Africa can reclaim its moral and developmental autonomy by grounding governance on the sovereignty of the family. It will highlight the pressures on African family systems from foreign ideologies, donor-driven agendas, and global frameworks that seek to redefine family, sexuality, and values. Participants will also assess the influence of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) policies that often conflict with African cultural and religious values, exposing how they may weaken parental authority and threaten traditional morality.
The session will further explore Africa’s struggle for sovereignty in food, health, education, and culture. Through legal, ethical, and policy perspectives, it aims to establish the foundation for an African Charter on Family, Sovereignty, and Values—one that safeguards Africa’s moral compass, strengthens family institutions, and ensures development aligns with the continent’s dignity and destiny.
Augustine Richard Kakeeto
Augustine is a senior partner with Mutuli Monari Advocates LLP in Nairobi Kenya, an expert on Regional Policy, and an Adjunct Lecturer at Tangaza University in Nairobi Kenya. He possesses a multidisciplinary academic background. Currently, he is advancing his expertise by pursuing a Ph.D. in Social Transformation ,with a specialisation in Governance at Tangaza University (Nairobi). Augustine is licensed to practice in the Courts of Judicature in both Uganda and Kenya. His expertise encompasses Human Rights, Social Justice, Social Transformation, Project Management, and Governance. He serves on the Governing Council of the African Bar Association, an Associate member of the Canadian Bar Association and a member in good standing with the East African Law Society, Law Society of Kenya and Uganda Law Society.
Amb. Omer Dahab F. Mohamed
Amb. Omer Dahab F. Mohamed is former Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sudan to the United Nations, New York. He served as Ambassador, Deputy Permanent Representative of his country in the European Office of the UN in Geneve. He also served as resident Ambassador to Russia, non-resident Ambassador to Belarus, Kazakhstan and Jamaica. In New York and early in 2019 he occupied the post of the President of the Executive Bureau of UNICEF. He served as Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2019
Hon. Ashems Christopher Songwe
Hon. Ashems Christopher Songwe is a member of Parliament for Likoma Islands in Malawi. He was head of delegation and represented the parliament of Malawi in the Joint Parliamentary Assembly under the Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Organization of African Caribbean and Pacific States. He is a co-founder of the Africa wide Inter-Parliamentary Network on Family Sovereignty and Values that AfBA has been supporting since its inception in 2023.
Angela Dwamena-Aboagye, PhD
Angela Dwamena-Aboagye, PhD, is a lawyer, Christian theologian, and an advocate for women’s empowerment and child protection. She is the Executive Director of The Ark Foundation, Ghana, a non-profit organization that established the first operational Domestic Violence Shelter in Ghana.
Charles Kanjama SC
Senior Counsel Charles Kanjama is the Chair of the Family Law Committee of the African Bar Association. He is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya with over 21 years of experience. He is the managing partner of Muma & Kanjama advocates in Nairobi, Kenya with extensive practice in Constitutional litigation, Commercial law, legal and governance audits, arbitration and mediation practice. He is a Certified Secretary and Certified Public Accountant who also serves as secretary to the Senior Counsel bar in Kenya. He has served as Chair of the Nairobi Chapter of the Law Society of Kenya.
