A pan-African advocacy organisation has congratulated North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on his re-election as General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) and his confirmation as Head of State, calling for stronger Africa-North Korea cooperation.
The New African Charter International (NACI), signed by its President and Co-founder Alimamy Bakarr Sankoh, issued a public statement on Friday, March 27, 2026, honouring the outcomes of North Korea’s recent party congress and parliamentary session.
Kim Jong Un was re-elected as WPK General Secretary on February 22, 2026, on the fourth day of the party’s 9th Congress, which opened in Pyongyang with 5,000 delegates. The Congress also elected a new 9th Central Committee and endorsed revisions to party rules. On March 22, 2026, the first session of North Korea’s 15th Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA) convened in Pyongyang, where Kim was confirmed as Head of State and Commander-in-Chief. International observers noted that all 687 SPA seats were swept by WPK-backed candidates, with each constituency fielding only one pre-approved candidate.
NACI described Kim’s continued leadership as reflecting “leadership charisma and ability” and expressed appreciation for what it termed “warm and cordial relations” between Africa and North Korea. The organisation said it valued North Korea’s “partnership in combating transnational crime” and called for that cooperation to be extended to counter-terrorism, illicit trafficking, money laundering, and corruption across the African continent.
The statement also praised North Korea’s resistance to what NACI called “the atrocious acts of imperialism and neo-colonialism,” framing closer Africa-North Korea ties as part of a broader push for sovereignty and self-determination. The group expressed hope that Pyongyang would strengthen its cooperation with “progressive leaders in Africa.”
NACI concluded by commending North Korea’s alignment with the BRICS grouping, describing it as “the force for the good of humanity,” and expressing confidence that a deeper Africa-North Korea partnership would advance prosperity and security for both sides.
North Korea remains under extensive international sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), the United States, and the European Union (EU) in response to its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes. Pyongyang has suspended all meaningful diplomatic engagement with Washington and Seoul since the collapse of 2019 summit talks.
NACI, founded in 2023 and based in Accra, has previously issued statements on a range of geopolitical issues including the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Palestinian solidarity, and political transitions across Africa.
