Former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo, has called on African nations to stop outsourcing their development and instead build frameworks designed by and for the continent.
At the Intra-African Trade Fair 2025 (IATF2025), Obasanjo, who chairs the IATF Advisory Council, delivered a passionate fireside chat urging unity, knowledge, and bold action.
The IATF2025 is being held in Algiers, Algeria, from 4–10 September under the African Union’s spotlight
“We have to adequately equip ourselves with knowledge – knowledge of the world, knowledge of ourselves, knowledge of what is wrong with us and we put them right, knowledge of what we can do, and we can do.”
Drawing on decades of leadership, Obasanjo stressed that Africa’s diversity of languages, cultures, and systems should not divide its people. Instead, he argued, nations must strengthen ties through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and platforms like IATF itself.
He condemned exploitative global structures in trade, finance, and geopolitics – from unfair commodity pricing to heavy dependence on the IMF – urging Africans to build local currency payment systems, strengthen regional trade, and invest in infrastructure like coastal shipping.
Africa’s Path to 2040
“Africa’s future must be built by us, for us, with us,” Obasanjo declared, urging governments, businesses, and young people to stop depending on systems not created for Africa’s progress.
He argued that intra-African trade is the surest path to independence and prosperity. With AfCFTA expected to unlock a $3.4 trillion market, Obasanjo called for investment in industries, digital systems, and human capital.
The challenge, he said, is not what Africa lacks, but how quickly it can unite and scale its solutions.
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