SECAM-JPDC TOOK PART IN CARITAS AFRICA’S MEETING IN LOMÉ

The Director of the Justice, Peace and Development Commission (JPDC) of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) attended the end of year meeting of Caritas Africa in Lomé, Togo, from December 8 to 12, 2025 “to assess the performance of both organizations in their relations and coordinating roles for the Church in Africa”.

Reviewing activities for 2025, Rev. Fr. Uchechukwu Obodoechina, Director of SECAM-JPDC expressed satisfaction with the progress made by both institutions. “We were delighted with the reports from both SECAM and Caritas Africa on their activities and programme interventions in the course of the year 2025”, he said at the end of this meeting in Lomé. 

According to Fr. Obodoechina, “a key outcome of this meeting was the common agreement and understanding between SECAM and Caritas Africa to pursue a joint indigenous fundraising model, with the technical support of our traditional funders, in response to shrinking donor funding”. Other priority areas for collaboration include communication and advocacy on issues of critical concern to the Church in Africa especially matters on social justice, poverty alleviation and integral human promotion in Africa.

Looking ahead, Caritas Africa will host the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Encyclical “Deus Caritas Est” in Côte d’Ivoire in March 2026, while SECAM plans a continental JPDC directors’ conference before the second quarter of 2026.

The participation of the director of SECAM-JPDC in this meeting strengthens the collaboration between the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) and Caritas Africa.

In this regard, the Executive Secretary of Caritas Africa met with the Director of JPDC of SECAM and team from June 19-20, 2025, in Accra to see how the two bodies could coordinate their joint actions plans and chart new courses of engagement for sustainable partnership among themselves and with other actors for the overall interest of the Church in Africa.

SECAM News

Rev. Fr. Uchechukwu Obodoechina, Director of SECAM-JPDC, with participants of the Caritas Africa’s Meeting in Lomé, Togo