Sitting across from my friend over coffee one afternoon, we started talking about Africa. It wasn’t the kind of conversation where we threw around numbers or statistics. No, it was personal. We spoke about the frustration of seeing so much potential wasted, the cycles of struggle, and the nagging question that haunts every young African: Why, despite all we have, are we still so far behind?
If you’ve lived here long enough, you know the pattern. We grow up hearing the same stories about Africa being the “land of opportunity,” blessed with resources and a young, vibrant population. But every time we look around, it feels like the world is sprinting ahead while we’re stuck in the starting blocks. It’s exhausting, isn’t it?
But then, in the middle of our lamenting, something shifted. My friend leaned in and said, “What if we’re looking at this all wrong? What if the reason we’re stuck isn’t just about what’s been done to us, but about what we’re not doing for ourselves?”
You see, the systems that govern our world today were built during a time when Africa wasn’t meant to win. Colonization wasn’t just about borders and flags, it was about creating an engine that ran on the exploitation of Africa’s resources and people. Railways were laid not to connect communities but to extract wealth. Economies were structured not to empower Africans but to serve distant empires.
And when independence came, we were handed the keys to this machine. But no one told us that it wasn’t designed for us. So, we kept it running exporting raw materials, importing finished goods, and watching as the wealth we created flowed outwards. Generation after generation, we’ve been taught to join this engine, to keep it moving, to follow the script.
But here’s the thing: the world has changed. The engine isn’t enough anymore. In fact, it’s breaking down. And while we sit here arguing over who to blame for its failure, the rest of the world is writing new scripts we’re not part of because we’re too busy clinging to the old ones.
A New Way of Thinking
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: no one is coming to save us. The world isn’t waiting for Africa to rise. It’s up to us to decide that this is the moment we stop being passengers in a broken system and start building our own.
Take the digital economy, for example. It’s rewriting the rules of work, trade, and creativity. In Nairobi, young people are developing apps that solve problems specific to their communities. In Lagos, content creators are telling African stories that resonate globally. These aren’t people waiting for permission; they’re rewriting the rules. And guess what? They’re winning.
But for every one of them, there are thousands of others stuck in the old mindset. Stuck believing that success only comes from good grades, a degree, and a steady job. It’s not their fault; it’s what the system taught us. But the world we’re stepping into doesn’t care about the old rules. It rewards those who think differently, who adapt, who solve problems instead of just following instructions.
What Needs to Change
I’m not saying we should abandon everything we’ve been taught. Education matters. Discipline matters. But we have to add something new to the mix: the ability to question the system, to take risks, and to believe that we can build something better.
That starts with how we see ourselves. We need to stop thinking of Africa as a continent waiting for its turn. Our turn is now. The only question is whether we’re ready to take it. And taking it doesn’t mean waiting for someone else to fix the engine it means building something entirely new.
It means supporting local businesses instead of imported brands. It means using platforms like YouTube or TikTok not just for entertainment but as tools to create, teach, and earn. It means looking at every challenge as an opportunity to innovate. High unemployment? That’s an opportunity to create jobs, not just look for them. Poor infrastructure? That’s an opportunity for tech solutions that leapfrog traditional systems.
The Role We All Play
This isn’t just about individual success. It’s about changing the narrative for everyone. If you’re a teacher, encourage your students to think beyond the classroom. If you’re a business owner, mentor the next generation of entrepreneurs. If you’re a young person reading this, ask yourself: What can I do today that builds a better Africa tomorrow?
This is the part where I want to remind you that the task ahead won’t be easy. Building is hard. Creating is hard. It’s much easier to blame the system, to wait for someone else to fix it, to complain about what’s wrong. But nothing worth having ever comes easy. And if we want an Africa that thrives, we have to start by doing the hard things.
The Bigger Picture
As our conversation wound down, my friend said something that stayed with me: “You know, it’s funny. For all the things we complain about, we’re still here. We’re still fighting. We’re still dreaming. That has to mean something, right?”
It does. It means that despite everything, Africa still has the potential to rise. And not just in the way the world expects. We don’t have to become like everyone else to succeed. We can succeed by being unapologetically bold, creative, and determined.
The engine may be broken, but we don’t need it anymore. We’re building something new. And this time, it’s for us.
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