Article by Viory
Kagame Urges Independence
Rwandan President Paul Kagame on Thursday urged African nations to leverage their immense resources instead of allowing foreign powers to continue to exploit the continent, calling on leaders to develop the courage to say ‘no’ to partnerships that strip the region of its economic sovereignty.
“For Africa, let me say, we have to leverage our competitive advantage, and there are a number of them. So why is Africa always at a disadvantage? When you look back, you see where Africa has been lacking this or that, but really, why, when you have almost everything,” stated Kagame at the Africa CEO Forum in Kigali.
Africa Resource Potential
Kagame asserted that Africa can rely on its vast energy and mineral resources to drive economic growth, adding that the continent has the workforce and potential to move beyond what he described as ‘cheap’ exploitation.
“Africa that has a lot of that, is silent or losing most of it cheaply to those who have the power, and have not what they want to do. Look at human capital. In terms of human capital, Africa has an abundance of that. In fact, whether maybe by now or in a few years to come, Africa will have the largest middle class in the world,” he said.
Geopolitical Challenges Discussed
Responding to a question on Africa’s role amid global geopolitical tensions, Kagame advised that African countries should treat the challenges as a ‘wake-up call’ and see the uncertainty as an opportunity to reclaim and strengthen their economic independence.
Africa CEO Forum
The two-day annual Africa CEO Forum has brought together heads of state and more than 2,000 business leaders and investors from 75 countries. This year’s edition of what is described as Africa’s ‘largest annual private sector event’ is being held under the theme ‘Scale or Fail: Why Africa Must Embrace Shared Ownership’.
Africa CEO Forum, via Viory.Video
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