Prof. Jane Naana: We must work for the Africa we want

Ghana’s Vice President, Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, has called on Africans to remain focused on regional integration and build on the ideals of Pan-Africanism to achieve greater continental sovereignty.

She stressed the need for Africans to move beyond aspirations and take concrete steps to build the Africa they want, noting that the continent already has policies and frameworks that can provide a foundation for deeper integration and development.

She made the remarks at the inaugural Africa Mindset Reset Forum in Kigali, Rwanda, where she shared the panel with Rwandan President Paul Kagame, former South African President Thabo Mbeki and former Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn.

The forum is being held under the theme “From Pan-Africanism to Meta-Africanism,” with discussions focused on Africa’s development, integration and the need for greater continental ownership.

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang urged African leaders to remain focused on the continent’s development vision and ensure that existing commitments are translated into measurable outcomes.

“We need to be focused on the vision. And the vision is to have, as the President said, the Africa we want. We cannot just have an Africa we want. We must have an Africa we work for,” she stated.

She called for a return to the fundamentals of Pan-Africanism and urged Africans to take greater ownership of the continent’s development rather than allowing external actors to define Africa’s priorities and future.

She further called for a shift away from dependence on external financing in national budgeting, arguing that African countries must place greater emphasis on what they can mobilise domestically rather than constantly determining their development plans based on expected external support.

“We need to move away from, you know, you want to do your budget and how much is somebody bringing you, how much is the person not bringing you, all that time wasting. Spend it on how much you can give yourself. So it is about putting the self forward. It’s about putting the country forward,” she stated.

The Vice President also commended the African School of Governance for its role in strengthening governance knowledge on the continent, urging the institution to build on existing research and literature rather than repeatedly studying the same challenges without translating findings into practical solutions.

Her remarks form part of a wider conversation at the forum on strengthening African ownership, regional integration, institutions and the capacity to deliver development outcomes. The gathering is also examining practical areas including the AfCFTA, regional air connectivity, visa openness, sovereign credit ratings and other initiatives aimed at deepening continental integration.

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang’s intervention reinforces the central message of the forum: that Africa’s transformation will require more than declarations and policy frameworks, but sustained African ownership, stronger institutions, regional cooperation and the political will to turn the continent’s ambitions into tangible results.

Source: Diplomatic Times