Africa needs agency, not isolation, in new geostrategic world order
Premium Times columnist Dipo Baruwa argues Africa must pursue strategic engagement with agency rather than isolation or passive integration. In a world where China, US, Europe, and Gulf states pursue their own interests in Africa, the continent needs deliberate strategy for what it wants from external partnerships.
Baruwa contends external engagements should be judged by productive capabilities built, knowledge transferred, infrastructure strengthened, and African firms enabled—not by investment promises or summits held. The machinery for continental action already exists: AU, AfCFTA, AfDB, and Regional Economic Communities. But Agenda 2063 needs accountability on milestones, implementation gaps, and whether national plans align with continental goals.
Visa liberalization across African states is a start, but requires transport links, interoperable payments, coordinated borders, and communications infrastructure to be meaningful. Africa's deficit isn't plans—it's collective conviction that its institutions can learn, adapt, and solve African problems.
For Nigerian readers, this frames the question: When FG signs MOUs with China, EU, or Gulf states, are we building Nigerian productive capability or just collecting signing ceremonies? The same test applies to AfCFTA implementation—does it make your business easier to trade across borders, or just expand markets on paper?