The Economic Freedom of Africa we want, should not be just slogans!

By Lutaaya Fredrick

Every day we hear of millions of dollars, either coming as loans or development aid to African countries to support projects and programs but at the end of the day we don’t see or feel the impact. Africa remains the same.

The world bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the International Finance Cooperation (IFC), African Union (AU), United Nations (UN), Africa Development Bank (AfDB), among others, it is high time you change your strategy and work closely with the private sector if Africa meet its agenda 63.

Even the AU with numerous arms of development sectors with a handful of different commissions there are still no concrete projects for Africa.

The AU) still solely depends on development partners such as the European Union (EU), United States Of America (USA), China, Russia and others.

Africa with 54 countries and a vast the human resources power, natural resources, supernatural resource we still depend on foreign aid. Development strategy would be for every African government to inject usd 5 billion every year for development projects and say no to foreign direct investment, and we will change the narrative. We can mobilise our resources in Africa.

Let’s take advantage of the opportunities we have in Africa and transform the continent.

We no longer hear about the New Partnership for Africa Development (NEPAD), it died a natural death.

The Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) was launched in January 2021 but with no concrete framework to foster its implementation. How can the implementation be achieved when there is no infrastructure, no investment when Africa SMEs still live from hand to mouth no industrialization process/

Our agricultural products cash crop/food crops are exported to Europe and other parts of the world to be transformed and sent back to us with high prices. Most African countries produce timber but we import common toothpicks.

To travel to Europe is cheaper than travelling to neighbouring countries, no roads infrastructure linking countries, no energy with all the dams and floods we have in Africa.

Our startup and Small Media Enterprises can do it but there are no means to industrialize yet we know of billions of dollars being sent to the continent every day. Those who give are accomplices of embezzlement. Because they don’t put strict measures on Measurement & Evaluation.

Those who govern us know what is going on. We need to hold them accountable, let’s build the Africa we want.

Our leaders travel to the west all the time. They see the good things; the good roads, the infrastructure, the standard of living but they have decided their citizens can’t enjoy all the amenities they enjoy in the west. When they are sick of malaria they fly abroad for treatment.

Our generation has the finest brains, innovative, industrious, hard-working and smart and economic transformation as well as diversification of Africa lie in the hands of this generation.

60 years after colonization and independence Africa remains the same. Is Africa cursed? Can the World Bank, imf, IFC and the UN change their development strategy in Africa? Can the Africa Development Bank, AU start doing the right things?  Can the European Union, United States of America, United Kingdom and other development partners change their strategy in Africa?

Can this generation change their strategy in Africa? Can the African diaspora change its strategy in Africa? Let’s achieve the Agenda 2063 at least for the generation to come.

The Africa we want, We have a continent to build should not be just slogans.

The author is an Educationists and Youth leaders and the Country Director for Africa Young Entrepreneurs.