In April 2025, Kémi Séba was awarded the prestigious honorary doctorate (Doctor Honoris Causa) in Political Science by Bel Campus University in Kinshasa. This recognition didn’t come as a surprise to followers of the pan-African movement. Séba, a Franco-Beninese activist, has long been a fearless voice challenging the vestiges of colonial influence in Francophone Africa.
Through his NGO, Urgences Panafricanistes, Séba has mobilized millions across West and Central Africa to question the continued use of the CFA franc, a currency many see as a relic of French control. His activism has come with sacrifices—arrests, bans, and public scrutiny—but his vision remains clear: an Africa economically and politically free from foreign domination.
What makes Séba’s work stand out in 2025 is his ability to shift from street-level protests to academic and institutional engagement. The honorary doctorate signals a growing institutional acceptance of his ideas, once considered radical. He represents a new generation of thought leaders who challenge the status quo not only with passion but with research, grassroots mobilization, and a demand for structural change.
