The old models of development are fraying. G7 countries have historically supported results-driven investments that have not only turned the tide against deadly diseases, but created new alliances and trading partners, unlocked economic growth, and kept us all — whether American, African, or European — safer.
Many of them are now signaling a retreat from this partnership: Aid is shrinking, debt is ballooning, and too many bilateral trade deals are quietly locking future generations into lopsided arrangements. This is cause for significant alarm. But out of this pressure comes a historic opportunity: To reimagine Africa’s future not as a series of external interventions, but through a bold, united, and African-led agenda for growth.
What’s needed is a contract with Africa.
This wouldn’t be a slogan, but a practical, visionary pact — owned by African leaders, citizens, and institutions — that sets a shared course for sustainable, inclusive development. It would prioritize transparency, value addition, and equity over dependency, and turn Africa’s demographic dividend and resource wealth into long-term prosperity.
At the heart of this contract is ownership. African governments must commit to creating an enabling environment for private sector investment through better infrastructure, increased energy access, political stability, and smart, targeted reforms. Governments must also unlock domestic capital by mobilizing pension funds and leveraging credit guarantees to fuel the next generation of African entrepreneurs and innovators. Research and data — driven by Africans — must lead the vision and build innovation for a future that is uniquely African, not replicating other systems in the world.
It’s time to move beyond raw resource extraction and embrace value-added production, especially in agriculture, critical minerals, and the creative economy. This isn’t just an economic imperative; it’s a political one. If African countries negotiate collectively, as they did in establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area, they can demand better terms from global partners, ones that reward innovation, respect sovereignty, and enable real job creation.
Transparency and accountability are non-negotiable. Countries have limited resources, and they must be invested solely in driving inclusive growth. From debt swaps for the salaries of health care workers and teachers to real-time budget tracking and digital citizen identification, this contract with Africa must be built on the trust of the people. That trust can only grow with visible efforts to eliminate corruption, cut inefficient spending, and answer the call for accountability.
And just as important: This contract must extend beyond borders. The African diaspora — nearly 200 million people — sends home $140 billion a year in remittances. This is an untapped stakeholder group that is a vital force for investment, philanthropy, and narrative change. But they need dual citizenship, better consular services, and opportunities to invest back into organizations supporting African communities. Philanthropists, too, must be partners in strengthening civil society and building strong local institutions that deliver, especially for the most vulnerable.
This is not a call to close the door on global partnerships. On the contrary: The contract is a framework for collaboration on equal footing. Africa is not asking for charity, it is offering opportunity, ingenuity, and a young workforce ready to power the global economy.
What Africa needs now is not another plan written elsewhere. It needs a contract — crafted in Africa, by Africans, and accountable to Africans. That is how we secure prosperity and true partnership, not just promises.
Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli is the CEO/President of the ONE Campaign, which advocates for the investments needed to create economic opportunities and healthier lives in Africa.