Africa’s collective GDP and consumer spending are projected to hit USD 2.6 trillion and USD 1.4 trillion in 2020 respectively. Recent reports indicate that the number of Africans spending between USD 2 – 20 a day has increased sharply to hit 313 million out of an estimated 1 billion people on the continent. These great projections mask the poverty of political and resource management on the continent.

The ongoing momentum where political leaders on the continent are increasingly finding themselves unpopular is an indicator of poor management of politics. At independence, powerful forces tended to capture leaders on the continent to serve their interests against the will of the African people. Close to half a century later, powerful forces are capturing African people to go against the interests of their leaders.

Endowed with vast natural resources and a promising economic outlook that developed and emerging economies are yearning for, the continent finds itself in a state of confusion.  Under this scenario, Africans continue to be on a lose-lose predicament.

It is therefore extremely urgent that all farsighted Africans take it upon themselves to initiate a momentum towards the continent’s age of enlightenment.  For example, countries that dominate global productivity and consumption have come together under the auspices of G20 to define rules of engagement in their favor. Africans should promote and invest in deep intellectual soul searching to enable the continent evolve solutions to its current predicament.