The African School of Governance (ASG) has called for a new phase of Pan-African thinking that moves beyond the continent’s historic pursuit of solidarity and liberation towards building institutions, mindsets and systems needed to deliver Africa’s development ambitions. Speaking at the Africa Mindset Reset Forum in Kigali on Tuesday, August 25, ASG President Francis Gatare described “Meta-Africanism” as an evolution of Pan-Africanism, arguing that Africa’s contemporary challenges require a shift from political solidarity to collective action and execution. ALSO READ: 1,000 leaders to meet in Kigali for Africa Mindset Reset Forum “Meta-Africanism is the necessary evolution of Pan-Africanism, addressing Africa’s contemporary development. Pan-Africanism gave us solidarity, liberation and dignity. Meta-Africanism asks the next question: what mindsets, what values, what institutions and what behaviours are required to create the future we need?” Gatare said. He said Pan-Africanism played a critical role in uniting Africans during the struggle against colonialism and apartheid, but argued that the continent now faces a different challenge of building the economic and institutional foundations needed to compete in a more interconnected and competitive world. “Over the past six decades, Africa has changed, and the world has changed even more. It has become ruthless and more competitive. It is true to say that no one in Africa is strong enough or competitive enough to face the competition alone,” he said. ALSO READ: Africa must overcome mindset that settles for less — ASG president Gatare Gatare said the new approach should therefore encourage African countries to work together to build markets, institutions and opportunities, while competing only where necessary. “This is going to be a different liberation struggle, requiring a new collective mindset, to build things together and only compete when we need to. This is what is called Meta-Africanism,” he said. He said the shift also requires Africa to move away from what he described as victim and scarcity mindsets, which can discourage countries and people from taking responsibility or collaborating. Gatare said an “agency” mindset, by contrast, would encourage Africans to recognise their capacity to shape their own future, while an abundance mindset would encourage countries to collaborate and expand opportunities rather than viewing one country's gain is another's loss. “It moves us from the call for resistance to the call for building things, with a construction mentality. It calls for a pivot from African consciousness to African agency and from articulated aspiration to the disciplined implementation of our plans and strategies,” he said. The concept also places greater emphasis on execution, translating continental ambitions and strategies into functioning institutions, businesses, infrastructure and jobs. Gatare said ASG's own research would be aligned with this approach, with the institution seeking to develop homegrown solutions and strengthen the capacity of African leaders and institutions. “We will measure our success from homegrown solutions, execution and institutional capabilities to provide dignified work to Africa’s youth and drive youth wellbeing,” he said. The push for greater execution was also reflected in remarks by African Development Bank President Sidi Ould Tah, who said that Africa’s transformation would require interconnected progress in economic transformation, innovation, energy and infrastructure, human capital, productive employment and financial stability. He argued that Africa must also move beyond fragmented national economies by strengthening regional markets, infrastructure, digital connectivity and financial systems capable of supporting cross-border economic activity. The call for a new African mindset was matched by a broader argument from African Development Bank President Sidi Ould Tah, who said the continent’s transformation must be built around connected economies, stronger institutions and the ability to turn its resources and population into productive opportunities. Ould Tah said Africa’s development challenges cannot be addressed through isolated national projects, arguing that economic transformation, energy, infrastructure, human capital, innovation, productive employment and financial stability are interconnected parts of the same development agenda. “These are not for a different form of action. They are the connected dimensions of the same ambition, industrial development cannot be separated from reliable energy and infrastructure, while human capital is essential to making economies more productive,” he said. He called for African countries to move away from fragmented markets and build systems that allow goods, capital, information and services to move more efficiently across borders. “Africa cannot partition its goods, payments, information and criticality and efficiency, a stronger physical and institutional foundation for continental integration is highly required in the process.” Ould Tah also argued that infrastructure projects should be designed with regional economic integration in mind, rather than being treated solely as national investments. “An electricity project becomes more powerful when it connects markets. A road becomes more constructive when it takes production from a city to different markets. Digital infrastructure becomes more powerful when parts of Africa are developed and regulatory systems allow innovations across borders,” he said. He also called for Africa to capture more value from its natural resources by developing industries and services around production instead of remaining dependent on exports of raw materials. “A different mindset means that the processing that we are granted cannot only be confused with achieving the quality of our services, we need to build ecosystems around agriculture, industry, engineering, software, logistics, finance, marketing, distribution and research that work for our people.”
