By Buertey Francis BORYOR
African leaders have been urged to set aside the African Union’s Vision 2063 agenda, deemed too slow to unlock the continent’s vast potential, and adopt the transformative ‘Source Mentality’ strategy from the Future Trends Africa Manifesto to build a US$60trillion economy within a decade.
Speaking to journalists in Accra, President of Future Trends Group and author of the manifesto, Dr. Farzarm Kamalabadi, asserted that the manifesto offers a clear, actionable roadmap to not only meet but exceed the continent’s potential, moving beyond traditional dependency on foreign investments to create sustainable domestic wealth.
He added that central to the manifesto’s elements is the popularisation of the ‘Source Mentality’, which shifts focus toward harnessing Africa’s immense resources and human capital.
“The main unique elements delineated in the Future Trends Africa Manifesto programme include popularisation of the ‘Source Mentality’ focused on creation of domestic wealth generation machinery, domestic capital raising and capital formation activation by various ways of crowdfinancing, domestic capital collection, conglomerate creation, rather than focus only on Foreign Direct Investments (FDI). This manifesto is not just a vision; it is a practical, inclusive roadmap for realising Africa’s destiny as a global economic leader,” he elaborated.
Also, the manifesto outlines bold initiatives such as establishing of banks for resources like minerals, agriculture and energy, activating crowdfinancing and local investment mechanisms to empower private entrepreneurs, drastically reducing interest rates for enterprise loans, introducing a hybrid Sovereign Wealth Fund combining traditional and digital assets and many others.
A strategic framework for growth
Furthermore, Kamalabadi said the manifesto aligns with the country’s aspirations under President Mahama’s administration, offering innovative strategies that integrate local wealth generation, domestic capital raising and reduced reliance on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).
“Ghana and Africa are endowed with unparalleled resources. Our model does not only generate domestic wealth but positions Africa to issue debt to the Global North, reversing decades of financial dependency,” Dr. Kamalabadi added.
A movement for collective progress
He furthermore said that the manifesto seeks to galvanise all segments of society – governments, financial institutions, entrepreneurs, academia, women, youth and rural communities – into a unified effort for economic transformation. He termed this as “Collective Peaceful Rise of Africa.”
In line with the afore-mentioned, he said the Future Trends Group has actively engaged with leaders across 20 African nations over the past two years, securing endorsements from more than 500 national leaders while connecting with grassroots communities.
Meanwhile, Board Member of GATAC, Mr. Dominic Oduro-Antwi, in a post-event media engagement, urged the country’s newly-elected president to adopt a deliberate and strategic approach to industrial growth by fostering stronger ties with the private sector.
Additionally, he emphasised the need for the government to engage directly with business leaders and the various business chambers, at least, twice a year to understand their challenges and harness their insights for national development.
“The President must prioritise collaboration with the business community, leveraging their expertise to create policies that stimulate economic growth,’ he added.
He further called on African nations to build stronger partnerships and synergies among themselves, arguing that a united Africa can achieve self-reliance and reduce its dependence on foreign aid.
The Future Trends Group, led by Dr. Kamalabadi, was accompanied to the country by a high-powered delegation of 15 prominent personalities from Switzerland, Germany, USA, UAE, Nigeria, Senegal, Guinea Conakry and Cameroon to Ghana, on the occasion of the inaugural celebrations of the country’s new President, John Dramani Mahama. The group works in partnership with the Global Africa Trade Advisory Chamber (GATAC) and FESTAC Africa Renaissance.
Dr. Farzam Kamalabadi, the legendary figure, is known as the “Most Influential Foreign Personality in Modern China History”, whose multi-layer strategies have been the main cause behind the meteoric rise of China’s economy and society from a sub-poor nation to a super-rich country under just short 3 decades. He brought to Ghana the methodologies that spurred China’s from a struggling nation to an economic powerhouse within three decades.
