On May 24, 1963, Kwame Nkrumah, the president of Ghana, delivered a powerful address to 32 fellow leaders of newly independent nations in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, right before the creation of the Organisation for African Unity (OAU), which later evolved into the African Union (AU). His message was unequivocal: Africa must unite or risk extinction. In his speech, Nkrumah outlined a hopeful vision for a peaceful, unified, and prosperous Africa, which included a common market, shared currency, monetary zone, common citizenship, a coordinated defense system, and a focus on industrialization.
What those leaders could not foresee was that 50 years later, in 2013, the presidents of the 54 nations of a supposedly free Africa would once again gather in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to request an additional 50 years to fulfill the ambition set forth in 1963, now rebranded as Agenda 2063.
This vision seeks to create a “peaceful, united, and prosperous” Africa, aiming to free the continent from persistent instability, poverty, and inequality, with joblessness rates exceeding 30%. Over the past fifty years, Africa has received more than $1 trillion in development aid and is projected to face chronic external debt of approximately $1.15 trillion by the end of 2023. It represents, in essence, the deferred hopes of Africa’s founders.
Although it is often said that a vision should surpass current capabilities, the AU’s Agenda 2063 feels like an exercise in “kicking the can down the road.” Many of those seated at the 2013 table may no longer be alive to face the repercussions of these promises by 2063.
Recent analysis from Development Reimagined shows that only Libya, Eritrea, and Botswana have not sought help from the IMF. Kenya has reached out to the IMF 23 times and has encountered pushback from Generation Z, who are unwilling to let foreign interests dictate their future. Recently, China, which has burdened Africa with debt in exchange for resources, threatened to seize the Zambian airport after the country failed to meet its debt obligations.
Despite possessing substantial arable land, sub-Saharan Africa struggles to feed its own people, with a skyrocketing food import bill that peaked at $43 billion in 2019 for agricultural commodities and consumables, according to the Brookings Institution.
‘You must produce yourself into equality’
The Brand Africa 100: Africa’s Best Brands study, which I have conducted over the last 14 years, reveals that fewer than 20% of the brands favored by Africans are actually produced on the continent. Simply put, many Africans tend to disregard most local products.
For Africa to achieve genuine independence, it is crucial to undergo a radical transformation of its economic and ecological framework.
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) was ratified in 2018 in Rwanda to take advantage of our growing population of over 1.4 billion, predominantly young individuals, and our collective economy valued at $3.5 trillion, with the aim of boosting intra-African trade from 15% to 50% by 2030.
Nonetheless, these goals may remain unattainable if we do not rethink our economic environment.
Singapore, cited frequently as a success story of 20th-century development, transformed its trajectory within a single generation. Lee Kuan Yew, who oversaw modern Singapore’s establishment post-independence in 1965, believed its growth was driven by shared values among diverse ethnic and religious groups, high educational standards, meritocracy at all levels, and the strategic allocation of state resources to build and expand domestic industries in sectors like shipbuilding, electronics, and banking.
As Jay Naidoo, a former South African minister without portfolio in Nelson Mandela’s cabinet, once remarked: “everyone has an agenda for Africa, but Africa has no agenda for itself.”
A sound domestic agenda drives prosperity
On his last day in office in 1933, US president Herbert Hoover enacted the Buy American Act, which required federal purchasers to prioritize US-manufactured goods whenever possible. In 2021, President Joe Biden issued an Executive Order aimed at enhancing the competitiveness of US industries in key sectors while also creating more job opportunities for American workers. For a product to be deemed American-made, at least 60% of its components must come from the US, with this requirement set to increase to 75% by 2029. Currently, imported goods and services make up less than 5% of public sector procurement in the US.
Faced with perceived unfair competition from nations like China, which supplies 95% of its solar panels and controls 96% of global solar wafer production, the European Union is transitioning toward a “Buy European Act” to strengthen its market presence, support local industries, reaffirm economic leadership, and secure its technological future. There are ongoing discussions about whether such Acts enhance competition or lead to better deals for consumers. Nevertheless, they arguably contribute to job creation domestically and foster a market for locally produced goods and services.
Africa has increasingly become a dumping ground for products and ideologies from both Western and Eastern nations. An analysis by the authors of the well-regarded book How Africa Trades indicates that Africa’s share of global exports, mostly composed of fuels and resources, has plummeted from a peak of 5% in 1965 to just above 2% in 2020.
While it is clear that in the contemporary global economy, Africa cannot completely isolate itself from non-African entities, it is imperative to rebalance the terms of engagement while ensuring our markets remain competitive, open, and independent.
The UN forecasts that by 2100, Africa’s population could exceed 3.5 billion and become 62% urbanized by 2050, with its GDP growth outpacing the global average. The opportunity for transformation is urgent— not simply a matter for 2063. There is an immediate need for a visionary and proactive agenda “for Africa by Africans” to turn this potential into a genuinely prosperous and united Africa.
Although Africa is made up of 54 distinct nations at various stages of development, it is conceivable that it can overcome its differences in languages, cultures, sizes, and colonial legacies, uniting under a common African citizenship and shared values of humanity, resilience, hospitality, and resourcefulness to pursue a pro-Africa agenda.
Time to buy African
If the AfCFTA is to flourish and Africa is to attain genuine economic independence, the AU must advocate for a pan-African Buy Africa Act. With findings from Brand Africa 100: Africa’s Best Brands indicating that while 64% of Africans believe in Africa, only 14% actively purchase African products, it is essential for African consumers not only to express support for local goods but also to engage in their purchase. Furthermore, African governments should implement laws promoting a pro-Africa procurement policy, mandating that at least 50% of all sourcing is local.
In the quest for our economic and political independence, we must industrialize, and enacting a Buy Africa Act should represent a crucial step forward.
