US President Barrack Obama`s remarks that development entails `…breaking cycles of dependence by helping people become more self-sufficient…` are timely. They come hot in the heels of remarks by Susan E. Rice (US National Security Advisor) that the country has stopped viewing Africa in terms of `poverty and crisis` but through the prism of the continent`s dynamism, diversity, economic potential and boundless possibility.

While pundits will interpret this move as the West`s placation of Africa stemming from China`s successful forays into the continent, the onus rests on Africa to tap into this new perspective for its socio-economic and political growth. How Africa balances the tightrope of renewed interest on the continent from China, The West, Brazil, India, and Russia will determine whether this will be Africa`s century. Meanwhile, Africa should push for development paradigms and partnerships that liberate as opposed to those that breed dependency.