REBRANDING AFRICA FORUM

10th edition

BUILDING AFRICA TOGETHER

18-19 October 2024

1. Boldness, vision and unshakeable determination is what it took, ten years ago, to give birth to the Rebranding Africa Forum (Raf). A far-sighted, irreversible adventure that is now essential to conceiving and building together the Africa of today and tomorrow.

2. Far from the blatant verbiage, nebulous concepts and semantic and ideological trickery abounding about Africa, from the cosmetic, superficial and incantatory façades that mask the denial of African realities, the ambition of Raf has been from the outset to make a substantial contribution to work on the in-depth reinvention and rebirth of the continent.

3. The themes we have chosen speak volumes. Emergence at What Price? (2014), Investing in Africa, Engaging for Africa (2015), Meeting the Challenge of the Industrialisation of Africa (2016), Issues and Challenges Facing African Financial Systems in the Face of the Demographic Dividend (2017), Challenges and Opportunities of the Green Economy for Africa (2018), Socio-Economic Challenges of Mining in Africa (2019), 2020 was “a year out” on account of the covid 19 pandemic, How the Digital Revolution Can Shape Africa’s Future (2021), What Attractiveness Strategies for African States? (2022), and finally Revolution in African Financial Systems, Blending Authenticity and Modernity: Pathways to Financial Inclusion (2023).

4. Over the course of these nine editions, with their related and overarching themes, and through the gradual development of a comprehensive diagnosis of the ills undermining the continent in each of the areas examined, and of the conditions for its liberation and emergence, Raf has performed a radical Afroscopy, without concessions or prevarication, and has thus availed itself of the historical depth and analytical breadth necessary to feed, in the most relevant manner, the reflections and forward-looking actions envisaged in this tenth edition.

5. After the time of retrospection and diagnosis, there comes the time of therapy and self-examination, of the projection of oneself by and for oneself, into a possible and chosen future, once rid of the contemporary remnants of the twofold barbarity of slavery and colonialism. The overriding imperative of the Afrotherapy envisaged by the tenth edition of Raf must be commensurate with the quest of African peoples for freedom, emancipation and dignity, and correspond to the disappointments, submissions, divisions, failures, abasements and culpable renunciations that have punctuated their history. First and foremost, this means breaking free from the tyranny of outside economic and political agendas and recipes, in order to concretely invent its own pathways, its own modes of political, economic and other forms of action and emancipation, so as to set its own agenda.

6. How can we liberate, disseminate and direct the continent’s positive energies towards achieving this objective, which, sixty years ago, was at the heart of the creation of the Organisation of African Unity on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa? How can we overcome internecine rivalries and conflicts, and the prevailing, paralysing Afro-pessimism, to rebuild together an Africa that has at its best become “the continent of the future”, an ambivalent expression that speaks volumes about the nature of its present? What collective strategies can we adopt to revive this Africa which, once rich in resources and economic and political power, was the cradle of radiant civilisations, the crucible of primordial knowledge and know-how through which, for centuries, it illuminated humanity with its cultural, scientific and technical enlightenment?

7. The challenge, however, is not to restore this glorious past, but to draw from it the self-confidence, motivation and inspiration needed to reinvent and rebuild it collectively, patiently and methodically, in the light of the continent’s current realities, assets and challenges. An integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, led by its own citizens, guaranteeing them all access to healthcare and basic social services, and representing a dynamic force on the world stage – this is, at the very least, the Africa we want to build or help build through the Raf, the one we aspire to (Agenda 2063 of the AU). However, such an aspiration cannot become a reality without the mobilisation of everyone, at every level. Joining forces around common objectives is therefore the sine qua non for facing up to the external strategies of destabilisation and permanent division that prevent this from being achieved, in this case the advent of this integrated, pacified, prosperous and free Africa. How, then, can we ensure that the peoples of Africa can take collective ownership of this ambition, making it a mobilising dream in the present, being prepared to make the sacrifices needed to achieve this, and together to fight to the end the battles they will face?

8. This is the major challenge we need to overcome if we are to build the Africa we want. To achieve this, we believe that a mobilising ideology on the one hand, and concerted, planned, collectively led and regularly evaluated actions on the other, are the two main paths to explore. Ideology fuels the dream that is needed to bring about great works and revolutions. This must be the role of a well-articulated pan-African ideology and vision. In addition to their roles in mobilising people, ideology and vision also enlighten and guide concrete actions. With this forward-looking perspective in mind, the tenth edition of Raf has selected ten concrete areas for reflection, action and projection, ten areas to be explored collectively, in order to build the Africa we aspire to: culture and sport (1), human capital (2), ICT and artificial intelligence (3), the exploitation of natural resources (4), climate change and the green economy (5), health and social security (6), internal trade and the AfCFTA (7), food and farming (8), transport and the challenge of connectivity (9), and last but not least, the future and challenges of democracy on the continent (10).

9. Raf 2024 will therefore be a unique opportunity to bring together under the same roof so many experts, social, economic and financial players, investors, entrepreneurs and political decision-makers, and through this forge partnerships in these various sectors. We are looking forward to seeing you on 18 and 19 October 2024, to explore together, in the light of the diagnostics carried out over the course of previous editions, the ways and means to optimally achieve these ten projects, which are destined to mobilise Africa and the Raf in particular, for at least the next ten years.

Historically, no people has achieved deep and lasting emancipation without a strong cultural foundation, and without unity, determination and perseverance in the struggles to achieve it – virtues that sport, in particular, provides.

The aim of this panel is to explore the ways and means of making culture and sport not only vectors of emancipation and integration for the continent, but also levers of influence and soft power throughout the world.

Human capital is the alpha and omega of any construction or reconstruction process. The Skills Initiative for Africa (SIFA) launched by the African Union bears witness to the fact that human capital is the future of the continent which is under preparation today.

Highlighting data on the brain drain, the cost of importing skills, and their respective impacts on the development of African countries; proposing alternatives to remedy the situation; identifying the human resources Africa needs, their respective training methods, and the types of investments and partnerships required to acquire them – these are the main issues under discussion in this panel.

We have resolutely entered the era of digitalisation, with all its pros and cons. Despite the many leaps forward that have been made on the continent in this area, Africa is still lagging behind on the global scale, and is essentially dependent on technologies, structures and infrastructures (bet they material, immaterial, digital, satellite, etc.) from the outside: it suffers from both digital backwardness and digital dependence.

  • What policies should be pursued at national, regional and continental levels to remedy this situation so as to make the most of the countless opportunities offered by ICTs, and particularly artificial intelligence?
  • How can we tackle the resulting challenges and new vulnerabilities that arise (cybercrime, digital neo-colonisation, multi-faceted addictions, etc.)?
  • In which sectors should digital research and funding be focused as a priority – education, training, health, security, etc.?

These are just some of the questions that will drive this third panel, which will take as a starting point for its discussions an overview of the evolution and use of ICT and artificial intelligence on the continent, and the opportunities and prospects these sectors offer.

Many African states are now faced with an influx of foreign powers wanting to acquire land, for a variety of purposes, giving rise to tensions with local populations. Similarly, the plundering of Africa’s natural resources, and the unequal exchange that undermines their exploitation, have long been the subject of repeated criticism by international NGOs and African civil societies, who are calling for more fairness and the need to process resources, goods and produce locally before export, in order to increase their value.

The aim of this panel is to take stock of the continent’s arable land, natural resources and minerals, and to define relevant strategies for their control, management and exploitation. The panel will also discuss the human, technical and financial capital required to achieve this.

Poor countries, particularly in Africa, are known to be paying the heaviest price for climate change, because they lack the resources to manage its many consequences: drought, heatwaves, crop failures, famine, exodus, population displacement, internal and international migration of all kinds, with all the ensuing tragedies, “green” conflicts, when the displacement of populations imposes unwanted cohabitation and the sharing of available land and vital resources, and so on.

The first concern of this panel will be to draw up an overview of the multifaceted consequences of climate change in Africa. It will then consider how to manage and prevent them. Finally, the question of how to turn the many disadvantages of climate change into opportunities will be the subject of a substantially informed examination. This will provide an opportunity to consider, in particular, how African economies can be made greener and how best to attract green financing.

The litany of health problems in Africa is inexhaustible: shortage of skilled personnel and staff in general, particularly doctors (according to the WHO, Africa has only 3% of all health professionals and less than 1% of the world’s financial resources), low levels of pay leading to a skills exodus (some African countries have more specialists abroad than at home), poor and unequal access to care, low quality of care, under-investment (according to the WHO, Africa is home to a quarter of the world’s sick, but its share of global health spending is less than 1%. It manufactures only a tiny proportion – less than 2% – of medicines consumed on the continent), poor planning and harmonisation of the combination of infrastructure and human resources, counterfeit and illicit medical products, low levels of digitalisation of services, absence or scarcity of social protection systems, health cover, etc. All these deficiencies are major issues for the continent. All these deficits represent challenges to be met, but also opportunities for national and international investors and economic players, since there is so much to be done, redone, invented, built, etc., in the region.

The preliminary task of this sixth panel will be to take stock of the health and social security systems in Africa, their respective problems and challenges, and to explore ways of improving and solving them, as well as the human and technical resources and partnerships required to do so. It will then highlight the many investment opportunities arising from the gaps identified and the challenges to be met, etc.

Since the 2017 agreement creating AfCFTA and its entry into force in 2019, the free trade area has raised many hopes across the continent. At the time, intra-African trade accounted for just 15% of the continent’s total trade, compared with 58% in Asia and 67% in Europe. The IMF predicted that AfCFTA would boost intra-African trade to 52.3% by 2025, increase Africa’s income to 450 billion dollars by 2035, and lift 30 million Africans out of extreme poverty.

  • What progress has been made so far?
  • What challenges need to be overcome to achieve this?
  • What opportunities remain to be seized?

These are just some of the questions that will be explored in this seventh panel discussion.

Barring a major catastrophe, according to United Nations forecasts Africa’s population will double by 2050, reaching 4 billion by 2100, compared with just under 1.5 billion today. The overriding challenge facing the continent, and one that needs to be addressed today, is that of food. Increasing its agro-industrial capacity is therefore an absolute imperative.

  • How can this be achieved?
  • What technical and financial partnerships should be envisaged?
  • How can we attract internal and external investors?
  • How can we stimulate value chains and increase opportunities in the sector?

These are just some of the key issues on which the experts selected for this eighth panel will focus.

The lack of road, port and airport connectivity is a major handicap to the integration and socio-economic development of African countries. It is sometimes easier or quicker to travel from one part of Africa to another via Europe, or to make long detours to reach a destination on the continent. This lack of connectivity and of physical and intangible infrastructure naturally has an additional cost on inter-African trade at all levels, be they national, regional or continental. According to the World Bank, sub-Saharan Africa holds the world record for the cost of exporting and importing standardised goods. This cost is almost double that of comparable trade in Latin America, the Caribbean, East Asia and the Pacific.

The cost is even higher when it comes to trade with landlocked countries, whose GDP per capita is reduced by 20% simply because of their geographical position.

The challenge of this ninth panel is essentially to explore ways and means, at all levels and in the sectors concerned, of remedying this lack of connectivity. It will also look at how to help landlocked countries stimulate a genuine knowledge and know-how economy, less dependent on material and logistical constraints, and capable of offsetting, balancing or even reversing the relationship of dependency on neighbouring countries.

If there is one political fact common to African states that have opted for republican and democratic regimes, it is the almost systematic challenging of election results. This phenomenon repeatedly raises the question of adapting democracy to Africa, or at the very least establishing an African-style democracy. What would the modalities and virtues of this supposed model of democracy specific to Africa be?

The fact is that the systematic disputing of election results creates permanent internal political instability and ultimately instability on the continent as a whole, with multiple consequences: insecurity, secessionist tendencies, internal cross-border conflicts, economic stagnation or even regression, and so on.

  • How can African states be turned into peaceful democracies with their own specific procedures, with transparent and uncontested methods of appointing leaders?
  • How can African peoples be sufficiently involved in the management of the internal affairs of their states?
  • How can we stimulate the emergence of a pan-African consciousness and African citizenship in order to stimulate peace, integration and prosperity on the continent from the grass roots, and provide a strong democratic foundation for the project of building Africa by Africans and for Africans?
  • How can democracy be promoted as a political and economic lever for the construction and emancipation of Africa?

This is the provisional and non-exhaustive menu for this tenth panel.

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