Former African Union Commission Chairperson Dr. Nkosazana Clarice Dlamini-Zuma has urged African leaders to harness the continent’s abundant resources for the benefit of their people.
“In Europe, I don’t know how many days of sunshine they have, but here we have at least over 300 days of sunshine. We must take advantage of that. We have our rivers, we must use them. And we are blessed with the diversity of water and oil, which we must benefit from,” she stated.
Dlamini-Zuma spoke on the topic “Why the World Needs a Dynamic Africa and What Role Must Each African Play to Achieve This Goal” at the BOMA of Africa event. This event was organized by AUDA-NEPAD and AfroChampions alongside the African Union’s Mid-Year Coordinating Meeting in Accra last Saturday.
Under the theme “From the Africa We Want to the Africa We Build,” the 2024 edition of BOMA of Africa celebrated the innovative ideas and actions propelling Africa forward. This festival of innovation and unity included debates, discussions, and announcements of groundbreaking initiatives highlighting milestones in African integration and development.
By focusing on health, wealth creation, development financing, and governance, BOMA 2024 aimed to spark new momentum toward achieving Africa’s continental aspirations. By highlighting major projects and initiatives, the event promoted a spirit of collaboration and determination.
In a world marked by geopolitical shifts, technological advancements, conflicts, and economic turbulence, Africa’s strategic blueprint, Agenda 2063, has become increasingly urgent and necessary.
The BOMA of Africa serves as a key event for showcasing and celebrating strategic developments on this roadmap, providing a platform to mobilize support for peace, security, and development.
“Our minds and our trajectory to Agenda 2063 cannot be determined only by investors, otherwise, we are colonised. It must be determined by what we can do and what we want to do,” said Dr. Dlamini-Zuma.
“We need to build our own trains. We need to build our own cars. We need to build roads. Eventually, we should also be able to build our own lakes. Maybe not today. It’s a big elephant, one bite at a time, but we must get there.”
Key highlights at BOMA 2024 included the 2nd Sankore Lecture, the inaugural Sankore Awards, and showcasing transformative projects such as Energize Africa, the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa, and the Home-Grown Solutions Accelerator.
These initiatives underscore commitment to advancing regional integration, socio-economic growth, and resilience across the continent.
A longstanding member of the African National Congress and current Chancellor of the University of Limpopo, Dr. Dlamini-Zuma, urged Africans not to let colonization and slavery define them but to remember their unique identity.
“Before we were colonized, we were a very dynamic continent and dynamic people. Even the Europeans themselves acknowledge that Africa was a dynamic continent,” she remarked.
Dr. Dlamini-Zuma expressed disappointment and concern that Africa, with its large youthful population, has become a supplier of labor to other parts of the world. She stressed that Africans should travel out of choice, not desperation.
She encouraged African leaders to improve conditions in their countries to prevent citizens from traveling out of frustration and desperation. “If they go somewhere else, it should be out of choice, not out of desperation, as it’s happening today. But also, I always hear complaints about how difficult it is around African countries,” she said.
AUDA-NEPAD and AfroChampions, along with other strategic partners, have hosted the annual BOMA of Africa event during African Integration Week since 2019. This year’s BOMA was aligned with the AU Mid-Year Coordination Meeting, further cementing its significance on the continent’s commemorative calendar.
The BOMA of Africa 2024 was held in Accra, Ghana, on July 20, 2024, alongside the AU Mid-Year Coordinating Meeting. This year’s theme, “From the Africa We Want to the Africa We Build,” brought together distinguished leaders, strategists, and innovators to celebrate and assess the remarkable progress of Agenda 2063.
