
On May 24, 1963, Kwame Nkrumah, the president of Ghana, spoke to 32 fellow leaders from newly independent African nations in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, just before the establishment of the Organisation for African Unity (OAU), which later evolved into the African Union (AU). His message was unmistakable: Africa must unite to avoid extinction. In his speech, Nkrumah articulated a vision for a peaceful, united, and prosperous Africa, advocating for a common market, shared currency, monetary zone, common citizenship, unified defense system, and industrialization.
What those leaders could not foresee was that five decades later, in 2013, the presidents of 54 supposedly independent African nations would reconvene in Addis Ababa to request another 50 years to achieve this 1963 vision, now rebranded as Agenda 2063.
This vision aspires to create a “peaceful, united, and prosperous” Africa, aiming to free the continent from ongoing challenges such as instability, poverty, and inequality. With joblessness exceeding 30%, more than $1 trillion in development aid received in the past 50 years, and chronic external debt projected to reach $1.15 trillion by the end of 2023, the situation reflects a deferred dream of Africa’s forebears.
Although it is common for visions to extend beyond current capabilities, the AU’s Agenda 2063 is reminiscent of simply “kicking the can down the road.” Few individuals at that 2013 meeting are expected to be alive to face accountability in 2063.
Recent research from Development Reimagined shows that only Libya, Eritrea, and Botswana have not sought assistance from the IMF. Kenya, on the other hand, has reached out to the IMF 23 times, facing backlash from Generation Z, who refuse to allow their future to be compromised by foreign interests. Recently, China, which has imposed substantial debt on Africa in exchange for resources, threatened to take over the Zambia airport following a default on its debt.
Despite having extensive arable land, sub-Saharan Africa struggles to feed its citizens, with a soaring food import bill that reached $43 billion in 2019 for agricultural imports and products suitable for human consumption, as reported by the Brookings Institution.
‘You must produce yourself into equality’
The Brand Africa 100: Africa’s Best Brands study I’ve conducted over the past 14 years indicates that less than 20% of the brands admired by Africans are actually produced in Africa. Simply put, many African consumers have little regard for locally made products.
For Africa to achieve genuine independence, a radical transformation of its economy and ecosystem is essential.
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) was ratified in 2018 in Rwanda to harness the potential of our growing, youthful population of over 1.4 billion and our collective economy valued at $3.5 trillion, aiming to increase intra-African trade from 15% to 50% by 2030.
However, these goals may remain unachieved without a reassessment of our economic ecosystem.
Singapore, often cited as a development success story of the 20th century, transformed its future in just one generation. Lee Kuan Yew, who laid the groundwork for modern Singapore post-independence in 1965, believed that the nation’s progress was driven by shared values among diverse ethnic and religious groups, high educational standards, meritocracy across all levels, and the strategic allocation of state resources to develop local industries such as shipbuilding, electronics, and banking.
As Jay Naidoo, a former South African minister without a portfolio in Nelson Mandela’s cabinet, once noted: “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 signed the Buy American Act, requiring federal purchasers to prefer US-made products whenever feasible. In 2021, President Joe Biden implemented an Executive Order aimed at enhancing the competitiveness of US businesses in critical sectors while creating more job opportunities for American workers. A product is considered American-made if at least 60% of its components are sourced domestically, which is set to increase to 75% by 2029. Currently, imported goods and services constitute less than 5% of US public sector procurement.
Faced with perceived unfair competition from countries like China, which supplies 95% of the global solar panel market and dominates 96% of solar wafer production, the European Union is working towards a “Buy European Act” to strengthen its market share, support local industries, reinforce its economic leadership, and secure its technological future. There are ongoing discussions about whether such Acts promote competition or provide better deals for consumers. However, they arguably foster domestic job creation and nurture a market for locally manufactured goods and services.
Africa has unfortunately become a dumping ground for products and ideologies from the West and the East. As analyzed in the highly regarded book How Africa Trades, Africa’s share of world trade in exports—primarily fuels and resources—has decreased from a high of 5% in 1965 to just above 2% in 2020.
While it’s acknowledged that in today’s global economy, Africa cannot completely isolate itself from non-African entities, there is a critical need to rebalance engagement terms while ensuring our markets remain competitive, open, and independent.
The UN forecasts that by 2100, Africa’s population could exceed 3.5 billion and be 62% urbanized by 2050, with GDP growth rates surpassing the global average. The opportunity for transformation is immediate—not just in 2063. There is an urgent need for a forward-thinking and proactive agenda “for Africa by Africans” to convert this potential into a truly prosperous and united Africa.
Though Africa is composed of 54 distinct nations at varying development stages, it is conceivable to rise above 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 achieve true economic independence, the AU must advocate for a pan-African Buy Africa Act. With recent data from Brand Africa 100: Africa’s Best Brands indicating that 64% of Africans believe in Africa, but only 14% actually purchase African products, it is crucial for consumers to not only express support for African goods but also to actively invest in them. Additionally, African governments should implement policies promoting a pro-Africa procurement strategy that mandates at least 50% of all sourcing to be local.
In our pursuit of economic and political independence, we must industrialize, and enacting a Buy Africa Act should be a vital step forward.