Dreaming of building “the Africa We Want “, puts our legendary forefathers and our tenacious Freedom Fighters’ ambitions on the current agenda. As Frantz Fanon reminds us, “Each generation must, out of relative opacity, discover its mission, fulfill it or betray it.”

As we embark on this journey of the mission we identified and chose to accomplish, a sense of unity of purpose is fundamental. Mobilizing efficiently and collectively financial resources among ourselves allows us to bypass the known pathways to support sustainable economic development.

With the current African population estimated at 1.4 billion and a projected 2.5 billion people in 2050, the continent has many challenges to deal with and if nothing is done properly, things will become much worse.

Let me give you an example of the importance of needed intra-continental infrastructure –

A well-built infrastructure eco-system, backbone of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), will bridge vibrant and thriving communities, link regional economic hubs, reach natural resources sites, and open doors to tourist attraction sites in a welcoming and multi-cultural environment. These are sources of employment and wealth creation.

The African Union (AU) and the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) have been promoting continental agendas in various sectors that we can call the 21st Century Grand African Reconstruction Program.

It will allow Africa to get out of a relative economic lethargy, increase the African intra-continental trade tremendously, eradicate the endemic impoverishment, and propel the continent to a new path and brighter future.

We all need to share this common purpose to rise to the challenge of our time, taking the driver’s seat for African-Centered Development.