Why Africa needs inclusive change

As I launch this op-ed series, I invite you to join me in confronting a stark reality: Kenya — and indeed, all of Africa — stands on the precipice of economic reckoning.

The question we must urgently grapple with is this: can we forge inclusive economic transformation that uplifts every citizen and safeguards our natural environment? We are mired in a landscape of polycrises — climate change, biodiversity loss, water scarcity, inequality, dehumanising poverty, joblessness, governance, cynicism, and hopelessness. The stakes couldn’t be higher.

In this column, I invite you to join me in unpacking, exploring and defining the path forward. While I don’t have all the answers, I believe that through dialogue and collective reflection, we can begin to forge a path forward that is, as we say at the World Resoures Institute - Africa-led, locally grounded and globally connected.

The prevailing narrative globally is that Africa is an impoverished continent with a rapidly growing population and with vast “potential” - a perception that is dangerously limiting, and underlies a tyranny of low expectations. It overlooks the incredible opportunities, optimism, dynamism, and innovation that define Africa today. It is crucial to challenge these prevailing narratives that shape our perceptions.

Consider the story of a farmer from Yaoundé, Cameroon, as told by my mother, Prof Wangari Maathai. ‘Prof’, as we called her at work, was haunted by a woman farmer she had seen on the hillside in Yaoundé, Cameroon, where she had been attending a meeting on protecting the Congo Basin Ecosystem.

The farmer was cultivating the land and cutting furrows along the gradient of the hill - such that any rain that fell would wash away her crops and precious topsoil with it. My mother’s family was very much like the woman. She was transfixed on and wondered not only if any of her fellow elites understood how desperately this farmer needed appropriate agricultural extension services, but if they even saw her from the comfort of their suites or lecture halls.

Inclusive transformation

This farmer embodies the struggle against environmental degradation, hunger, and poverty, grappling with dwindling harvests due to deforestation and unsustainable practices. By not working with this farmer — and the tens of millions like her throughout Africa and beyond — protecting the soil, creating food security, reducing poverty, or mitigating climate change would simply be impossible.

This narrative is a microcosm of what holds many communities back from achieving inclusive transformation. We must embrace more empowering narratives that recognise the remarkable opportunities and contributions that Africa can and must make today. 

Our youth often feel unheard, their prospects dim, and they are burdened by debt — both personal and national. Many have worked hard, possess the requisite training, but struggle to get ahead - and yet they have not lost hope. 

Keeping hope alive and inspiring innovation requires genuine partnerships with governments that spur domestic economic growth.

A true compact for economic growth necessitates that industrialised nations abandon unjust extractive capitalism and predatory lending, which weigh heavily on Africans, and invest in localising green industrialization.

Africa possesses 60 per cent of the world’s best solar potential, the youngest and fastest growing workforce in the world, is abundant in the critical minerals needed for a clean energy revolution, and has vast restoration potential with 700 million hectares available for rejuvenation — an area equivalent to the size of Australia.

Shared obligations

Therefore, Africa cannot simply remain a supplier of raw materials; that era must end. We must ensure that the technology, skills, and revenues generated stay on the continent and are shared equitably.

Take the example of Bauxite from Sierra Leone: while the commodities market is around US$11 billion, further up the value chain, it swells to US$7 trillion. Localising parts of this critical value chain is not just about economic prosperity; it’s about justice, fairness and decarbonizing a carbon intensive raw material, which is good for climate.

This progress can only be realised when policymakers and the private sector invest in local talent and entrepreneurship. 
Will this inclusive vision be easy to achieve? Probably not. But it’s absolutely possible. We know the “why”; now we need to focus on the “how”. 

In her Nobel Peace Prize Lecture two decades ago, my mother said: “In the course of history, there comes a time when humanity is called to shift to a new level of consciousness, to reach a higher moral ground.” That time is now.

The issues we face are stark, and the urgency of our shared obligations have never been greater. Let us draw inspiration from the resilience of the farmer from Yaoundé and channel that spirit into action.

In the next article, we will continue our conversation, turning our attention to the experiences of a farmer who works in the agriculture value chain. We will follow her journey shedding light on the unique challenges and opportunities she faces to sustain her family and her business. We will examine what holds her back, and the opportunities to unlock a world of possibilities for her.

Wanjira Mathai is the MD for Africa & Global Partnerships at the World Resources Institute and Chair of the Wangari Maathai Foundation.