guest column

“AFRICA is today at the midcourse, in transition from the Africa of yesterday to the Africa of tomorrow. Even as we stand here, we move from the past into the future. The task on which we have embarked, the making of Africa, will not wait. We must act to shape and mould the future and leave our imprint on events as they slip past into history.”

The above quote was made by Ethiopian Emperor Haile Salassie in 1963 at the launch of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). This was at a moment when the winds of change were blowing across Africa. African states were liberating themselves from colonial bondage.

African then had been carved into so many spheres; French Africa, German Africa, British Africa, Portuguese Africa and even Belgian Africa. Africa had become the playground of European imperialists. Her resources were being looted in thousands of tonnes to feed European industries. The only things left in Africa from the experience were roads and rails that led to the sea.

This point was further exhibited this week when the United States announced funding for the Lobito Corridor — a railway line that stretches from DRC, Zambia on to the port city of Lobito in Angola. This line will be used to ship mineral resources like copper, cobalt and other rare earth minerals to the United States.

Africa, 60 years later and after the change from OAU to Africa Union (AU), is still basically known for exporting commodities to Europe, China, Russia and the US. Despite fancy planning and the launching of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in 2018, intra-continental trade is still very low as many countries continue to sell raw commodities to European markets.

On Thursday this week, Africa celebrated Africa Day. A day that