Togo has demonstrated strong leadership by leading this campaign for the world to recognise that for centuries the cartographical minimisation of Africa was just part of a deliberate and systematic effort to reduce Africa.
By elevating this issue on the continental agenda, the President and Government of Togo have declared that Africa will no longer accept distorted representations on the world stage.
We, at APN, are proud to have been part of the awareness efforts that led to this transformative moment over the years.
As our Executive Chairman, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, stressed in a widely-circulated article in August 2025:
“The time has come for Africa to reclaim its actual size on the map and in the world and to erase the borders that constrain us from becoming the economic power we should be.
“The Mercator map of 1569 shrank Africa. The Berlin Conference of 1884-85 divided Africa. The Equal Earth projection today restores Africa. But only Africans can liberate Africa.”
He argues, “Let us not correct the map only. Let us correct history. Let us make Africa borderless—now.”
For centuries, the Mercator projection systematically distorted Africa’s true scale and significance, shaping global perceptions. The fictitious map has determined how the world sees us and how we see ourselves.
We will continue to stand alongside our continental leaders in their various efforts to correct established wrongs as an important step towards establishing more confident foundations for genuine and broadbased African prosperity.
#CorrectTheMap #APD2027 #AfCFTA #AfricaSingleMarket #AfricaProsperityDialogues