The quest for Africa to industrialize does not depend on external decisions, and the continent must industrialize with a sense of urgency, President Paul Kagame said during a one-on-one conversation with CNN’s News Anchor and Correspondent Eleni Giokos, on February 12.
This was at the 11th World Governments Summit (WGS) in Dubai, UAE.
The gathering brought together leaders, experts and senior officials from more than 150 countries, to address future trends and shifts on the global level as well as ways to foster collaboration regionally and globally.
Kagame noted: “The quest for Africa to industrialize should not depend on anybody’s decision but Africa’s decision is long overdue...there is a contradiction, Africa is very wealthy with resources but on the other hand, it is very poor. It is not justified.”
He added that Africa must come together, invest in its resources and value addition, and get involved in manufacturing while understanding that this needs to be done with a sense of urgency.
Asked whether he is worried about external influence on the continent, Kagame said that it is a concern but he is not worried because “we are responsible for doing certain things for that not to happen.”
“It is the responsibility of Africans to ensure that Africa is not just there for anybody’s taking...or be influenced to take a certain line. Africa must be that powerful to ensure that we do what has been determined by ourselves as important to us and our people.”
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In September 2023, the African Union (AU) became a permanent member of the G20, a second seat in addition to South Africa that was already a member of the intergovernmental forum.
The G20 represents around 85 percent of global GDP and 75 percent of global trade, as well as two-thirds of the world’s population, prior to the AU joining. The fact that AU now has a permanent seat in the grouping, according to Kagame, was long overdue, and one would question why it didn’t happen years ago.
In his view, this points out two problems; one being that Africa should have come together as a strong voice and leverage its many resources so that the rest of the world could be interested in working cooperatively, rather than just telling people to follow what they have decided.
The other problem, he said, is the wielding of power by several countries that should otherwise be used rationally and reasonably.
“Africa is not there to be influenced or take sides according to the lines they have determined. The issue is for powerful countries to use their power reasonably and for Africa to actually understand that it is as powerful.”
He added that there is currently a shift in access to power because things that have been happening over the past years cannot go unchallenged.
Membership in the G20, it is noted, gives the AU a platform to advocate for the interests of its member states in global governance, enabling the continent to shape the agenda on global issues such as climate change, trade, and security.
As of 2023, Africa’s GDP was estimated to be US$ 3.1 trillion, with a population of 1.3 billion.
