By The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) President, Hon. Eng. Patrick Amuriat Oboi, has received the Akufo-Addo Africa Democracy Award on behalf of Col. (Rtd) Dr. Kizza Besigye, the party’s founding president, during the Democracy Union of Africa (DUA) Forum 2025 at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya.
The prestigious award, named after Ghana’s former President H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, honors outstanding leadership in advancing democracy and good governance across Africa. Dr. Besigye, who is currently incarcerated at Luzira Maximum Prison on treason charges, was recognized for his lifelong commitment to political freedom and democratic reform in Uganda.
Accepting the award, Amuriat hailed Besigye’s “unwavering courage and sacrifice” in the struggle for democracy, describing him as “a true symbol of Africa’s fight for freedom and justice.”
He extended appreciation to President Akufo-Addo and the DUA Board, chaired by Ms. Louisa Atta-Agyemang, for acknowledging Besigye’s contribution, and urged African leaders to amplify calls for the release of political prisoners across the continent, including Tanzania’s Tindu Lissu of the CHADEMA Party.
Day Three of the forum was co-opened by Hon. Gideon Moi, leader of Kenya’s KANU Party, and Rt. Hon. Justin B. Muturi, leader of the Democratic Party of Kenya.
Keynote speakers included H.E. Senator Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, the 13th President of Nigeria’s Senate, who emphasized Africa’s need for self-sufficiency, and H.E. Nana Akufo-Addo, who urged African nations to speak with one voice in global platforms to achieve equitable trade, investment, and technological collaboration.
The forum continues tomorrow at the KANU Party Headquarters with a high-level panel featuring Rt. Hon. Nathan Nandala Mafabi, FDC’s 2026 presidential candidate, moderated by Amuriat. It will conclude with a farewell dinner hosted by Hon. Gideon Moi at his Kabarnet residence in Nairobi.
Before his incarceration, Dr. Besigye had fallen out with the FDC leadership at the party’s Najjanankumbi headquarters, citing ideological and structural disagreements. The rift led to the emergence of the Katonga faction, which later evolved into the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) a new political platform aimed at advancing his reform agenda outside the FDC framework.
