Facing Forward
Ghana’s founding president Kwame Nkrumah was a key figure during the Cold War when newly independent African states came under pressure to align with the West or East. Ghana was the first Sub-Saharan African country to gain independence, and Accra was a focal point for the world’s superpowers at the time. But Nkrumah said, “We face neither east nor west. We face forward.”
Today, as the global order shifts again and new powers compete for influence across Africa, the bigger and more rewarding task remains finding direction rather than alignment. This was my main point when I spoke at an African Energy webinar on 31 July alongside Africa Confidential editor Patrick Smith, African Energy editor Marc Howard and African Energy founder Jon Marks. I explained that the challenge for African leaders at the moment is to organise around shared interests and values.
There are many institutions on the continent such as the African Union, the East African Community and the Economic Community of West African States. But internal conflicts are common and member states are often pursuing separate interests rather than working together. Disunity then obstructs members from moving forward collectively and participating on the global stage from a position of influence. The collapse of AU-led peace talks in the DRC, the dispute between Rwanda’s Paul Kagame and South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa, the loss of momentum with the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, and the breakaway of the Alliance of Sahel States from ECOWAS show how a lack of cohesion can weaken Africa’s position in a changing world.
Facing (and moving) forward also requires sorting out the basics at the country level. There are interesting discussions about the size of Africa’s rapidly-growing population and all the potential benefits. But there are also huge gaps in key areas such as education, healthcare and fundamental rights, so widening access to key services is key. For example, only 14% of Ugandan adults use a bank account.[1] In terms of education, gains have been made but there is much more room for growth: only 22% of young Ghanaians of university age actually pursue higher education.[2] These elements have an important impact on the attractiveness of the business environment and the pace of economic development – both of which would raise Africa’s geopolitical significance.
Nkrumah’s quote is from an era when African leaders, from Harare to Dar es Salaam, rallied behind a common goal of political independence. However, the dynamics have since changed and there is now a need to find new motives and incentives for cooperation. In this new order, the main test for African governments is the ability to organise and integrate through projects such as the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Highway and the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System. Facing forward, now, would require shared interests, pooled resources and a readiness to transition from fighting for independence to building interdependence.
Adedayo Ademuwagun
Consultant, Lagos.
Songhai Advisory
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[1] https://ugandabankers.org/Uganda's%20Banking%20Sector%20Report%20for%20the%20year%202023%20and%20June%202024%20.pdf
[2] https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.TER.ENRR?locations=GH