The Nation, The Continent, and What It Demands

By Lisu Khuzwayo

We stand at a decisive hour. The Global South is no longer on the margins of history—it is the very frontier of the new world order. Africa, with South Africa at its crossroads, is being watched by the world. They see in us what we too often refuse to see in ourselves: unmatched resources, a young and rising population, and a destiny waiting to be claimed.

Africa holds 30% of the world’s mineral reserves—the cobalt, platinum, and rare earths that drive the digital age, from smartphones to renewable energy grids. By 2050, our population will double to 2.5 billion people, making Africa the youngest and most dynamic workforce on Earth, even as Europe and East Asia age into decline. Yet despite this wealth, Africa contributes only 3% of global trade and less than 4% of global GDP. This paradox is our reality: rich in resources, poor in outcomes; central to the world’s future, yet sidelined in its present.

The old myths are dead. Africa is not a wasteland of incompetence—it is the bedrock of the future. For too long, the world wished us small, and for too long we believed it. Caesar once observed: “Men in general are quick to believe that which they wish to be true.” The world wished Africa weak. We accepted their wish as fact. That is the greatest lie of our history—and it must end now.

Day after day, Africans are told—subtly, cleverly—that prosperity lies elsewhere: in Europe’s banks, in America’s streets, in Asia’s factories. But the truth is undeniable: 60% of the world’s uncultivated arable land lies here, in Africa. The Congo River alone could power the entire continent if fully harnessed. The Sahara’s sunlight, captured by solar grids, could electrify half the planet. The ground beneath our feet is not barren—it is treasure.

So the question is this: who will rise to seize the levers of power and steward what is already ours? Will it be foreign corporations, entrenched elites, or the young generation bold enough to break the cycle? Today, 70% of Africa’s population is under 30. By 2030, we will have the largest workforce in the world. This is not a statistic—it is a summons. If our youth do not rise, others will rise in their place, and history will repeat itself: outsiders taking what we refuse to claim.

For centuries, Western powers deceived us. They taught us to envy what lay beyond our shores while they dug gold from our soil and diamonds from our rivers. They whispered that what we had was worthless. And so, the African child grew up dreaming of leaving, instead of building. That lie must die today.

The numbers speak for themselves. Every year, Africa loses an estimated $89 billion to illicit financial flows—more than the total annual aid we receive. Dependency is not generosity; it is extraction in disguise. Our resources, if properly governed, could build nations, transform lives, and sustain a new era of self-reliance.

Because the truth is clear: success lies within. The ground we walk upon is already rich with the future. The task before us is not to imitate others, but to awaken ourselves. The time for dependency is over. The time for waiting is gone.

This continent demands builders, leaders, and dreamers who refuse to be deceived. It demands young Africans who will rise—not to beg at the tables of others, but to build tables of their own. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), if fully implemented, could boost intra-African trade by 52% by 2025 and lift 30 million people out of extreme poverty. The potential is here. The choice is ours.

The future is not elsewhere. The future is here. The future is not foreign. The future is African. The future is us.

References

• African Development Bank (AfDB), African Economic Outlook 2025.

• African Union (AU), African Continental Free Trade Area Impact Study, 2020.

• Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Illicit Financial Flows Report, 2020.

• International Monetary Fund (IMF), Regional Economic Outlook: Sub-Saharan Africa, 2023.

• United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), World Population Prospects 2024.

• World Bank, Africa’s Pulse: Economic Update, April 2025.