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.
Details and objectives
After the time of retrospective and diagnosis, comes that of therapy and endo-prospective, of the projection of oneself by and for oneself, into a possible and chosen future. Also, the primordial imperative of this Afrotherapy that the tenth edition of the RAF envisages must live up to the quest for freedom, emancipation and a true emergence of the continent…
- What is your vision and that of the institution you lead of the Africa your dreams?
- How can we overcome the prevailing and paralyzing Afro-pessimism to rebuild together this Africa, which has become at best “the continent of the future,” an ambivalent expression that speaks volumes about the nature of its present?
- What collective strategies should be adopted to transform Africa’s potential?
Details and objectives
Since the agreement establishing the AfCFTA was signed in 2017 and came into effect in 2019, intra-African trade has only accounted for 15% of the continent’s total trade, compared to 58% in Asia and 67% in Europe. At the same time, the IMF projected that the AfCFTA could boost this figure to 52.3% by 2025, increasing Africa’s income by up to $450 billion by 2035 and lifting 30 million Africans out of extreme poverty.
- What progress can we assess so far?
- What challenges must be overcome to achieve these goals?
- What opportunities remain to be seized, etc.?
Details and objectives
Human capital is indeed the Alpha and Omega of any construction and reconstruction process
- How to highlight data related to brain drain, the cost of importing skills, and their respective impacts on the growth of African countries?
- What alternatives can be proposed to address these issues, identify the human resources needed by Africa, the modalities of their training, the types of investments and partnerships required to acquire them—these are the main challenges of this panel.
Despite progress made on the continent in the fields of digital technology and AI, Africa remains largely dependent on external technologies, structures, and infrastructures.
- What policies should be implemented at the national, regional, and continental levels to address this, so as to make the most of the countless opportunities offered by ICTs, including artificial intelligence?
- How to tackle the resulting challenges and new vulnerabilities (cybercrime, digital neocolonialism, various forms of addiction, etc.)?
- In which priority sectors should research and funding related to digital technology focus more—education, training, health, security, etc.?
Details and objectives
The deficit in roads, ports, and airports connectivity, as well as in material and immaterial infrastructures, is a major handicap for the socio-economic integration and growth of African countries. According to the World Bank, Sub-Saharan Africa holds the world record for the cost of exporting and importing standardized goods. This cost is even higher when it comes to trade with landlocked countries, whose GDP per capita is reduced by 20% simply due to their geographical position.
- How can we explore ways and means, at all levels and in the relevant sectors, to address this connectivity deficit?
- How can we help landlocked countries stimulate a true knowledge and skills-based economy that is less dependent on material and logistical constraints and capable of compensating, balancing, or even reversing the dependency relationships with neighboring countries?
Details and objectives
History has shown that no people have achieved deep and lasting emancipation without a strong cultural foundation, and without unity, determination, and perseverance in the struggles necessary to achieve it—virtues that are particularly fostered by sports.
- How can we explore ways and means to make culture and sports stronger vectors of emancipation and integration across the continent?
- How can culture and sports be leveraged as tools of influence and soft power across the world?
Details and objectives
One common political issue among African states that have opted for republican and democratic regimes is the almost systematic contestation of election results. This recurring phenomenon raises the question of whether democracy is truly suited to Africa or, at the very least, the possibility of establishing a uniquely African model of democracy.
- What would be the modalities and virtues of this supposed model of democracy specific to Africa?
- How can African states become peaceful democracies according to their specific modalities, with transparent and uncontested methods of selecting leaders?
- How can African peoples be sufficiently involved in the management of their states’ internal affairs?
- How can the emergence of a pan-African consciousness and African citizenship be stimulated to drive peace, integration, and prosperity from the grassroots level, thus providing strong democratic foundations for the project of building Africa by and for Africans?
- How can democracy be promoted as a political and economic lever for Africa’s construction and emancipation?
Details and objectives
Unless a major catastrophe occurs, the United Nations projects that Africa’s population will double by 2050, reaching 4 billion by 2100, compared to just under 1.5 billion today. The primary challenge facing the continent, which must be addressed now, is food security. Increasing agro-industrial capacities is therefore an absolute imperative.
- How can this be achieved?
- What technical and financial partnerships should be considered?
- How can internal and external investors be attracted?
- How can value chains be stimulated and opportunities in this sector increased?