By Professor Douglas BOATENG
Africa is not merely standing at a crossroads; it is caught in a crisis of direction. It is a deeply worrying moment in history, where the shadows of the past still darken the potential of tomorrow.
One path, the road of nationalism, is alluring but perilous: paved with pride, littered with flags, guarded by fragile sovereignties, and echoing with historical echoes that no longer serve today’s realities.
The other, less-travelled path is continentalism; unassuming, dust-covered, yet rich in promise; a route that winds through unity, shared prosperity, and collective resilience.
Over six decades since political independence, Africa finds itself economically shackled. The colonial yoke may have been broken, but the chains of economic fragmentation still bind tightly. We have 54 sovereign states, but no unified market.
We have trillions in mineral wealth, but persist in exporting raw poverty. We have the world’s youngest population, but youth unemployment festers like a national wound. If paradox paid taxes, Africa would be debt-free.
The sobering reality is that African leaders cannot buy time with pride. African leaders cannot manufacture jobs with slogans. African leaders cannot engineer prosperity by working in isolation.
Africa possesses abundant resources yet struggles to achieve effective outcomes. National budgets are formulated with optimism but often lead to debt. Development plans generally prioritise electoral cycles over long-term sustainability.
This dilemma transcends political divides; it concerns economic survival. Africans face a choice between the facade of nationhood, independence and the strength of collaboration. Time is running out, and with each passing moment, we risk jeopardising the aspirations of future generations.
The inconvenient truth? Africa will not rise by walking alone. It will rise by marching together.
The dangerous dressing of nationalism in a global age
Nationalism in Africa is like dressing for winter in a tropical drought. It might feel righteous, but it achieves little. Post-independence nationalism gave us pride, identity, and symbolic sovereignty. But it also gave us closed borders, visa restrictions, and tariff walls that make it easier to import apples from Poland than onions from Niger.
Some call this sovereignty, but sovereignty without supply chains is ceremonial suffering in patriotic robes. Nationalism, when weaponised against neighbours, becomes economic cannibalism where nations chew their own limbs while saluting their coat of arms. In an interdependent world, isolation is not strength; it is strategic blindness.
Bleeding potential – the cost of fragmented borders
According to the African Union, it can take up to 48 hours for goods to clear some intra-African land borders, and even longer if a public holiday falls in two countries at once. A Malawian tomato farmer can get her produce to Dubai faster than to Mozambique. That’s not trade. That’s tragedy.
The World Bank estimates that Africa loses over US$100 billion annually due to intra-continental trade barriers. Intra-African trade stands at a mere 15percent, compared to 60percent in Europe and 50percent in Asia.
At some borders, African traders are treated with more suspicion than foreign companies. Over 51percent of African countries still require visas for fellow Africans, yet offer open entry to non-Africans. This is not Pan-Africanism. It is institutionalised irony.
Treaties on paper, tyres in mud – the continental dilemma
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), launched in 2021, embodies a US$3.4 trillion dream. Yet paper treaties do not move goods. Even within ECOWAS, a truck from Lagos to Dakar can be stopped over 100 times.
In the SADC region, a Mozambican textile exporter waits weeks to access South African markets due to overlapping regulations. That’s not regional integration; it’s institutional gymnastics. Meanwhile, European nations argue over wine and fishing rights, yet unify to protect shared interests. Africa bickers over toothpaste tariffs.
The decorated illusion – sovereignty without strength
Sovereignty without productivity is a decorated beggar’s badge. We mark independence days with parades but import refined oil, generic medicine, and basic construction materials. We fear losing national identities, yet our youth consume foreign culture, speech, and values. How long can 54 fragmented economies compete in a world of mega blocs? The myth of sovereign self-sufficiency is costing Africa billions in lost opportunities.
The power of synergy – why continentalism is strategic
Continentalism is not about surrender. It is about synergy. No single African nation, however resource-rich, can industrialise alone. Together, however, we are 1.4 billion strong, home to 30percent of the world’s natural resources and the youngest global workforce.
Imagine: bauxite mined in Guinea, refined in Ghana, assembled in Kenya, shipped through Djibouti, and traded across borders with a single e-invoice. Continentalism means harmonised regulation, shared infrastructure, and a unified development strategy. This is not idealism; it is industrial realism.
From parades to production – exorcising the spirit of empty patriotism
- A continent exporting minerals but importing electronics cannot claim sovereignty
- A region digging gold but wearing gold-plated promises cannot claim prosperity
- A bloc exporting cocoa and importing chocolate at five times the price is not rising; it is recycling poverty
- National flags flying over idle factories are not symbols of strength; they are echoes of missed opportunity
- Every duplicated law, every redundant checkpoint, every unnecessary visa is a chain holding us back
- African leaders must stop mistaking ceremony for strategy. Pride must give way to purpose.
Agenda 2063 – a dream too important to fail
Agenda 2063 is not just a vision; it is a covenant with Africa’s unborn. But without action, that covenant becomes a curse. If fragmented nationalism continues, Agenda 2063 will become the continent’s most expensive scrapbook. Over 600,000 African youth migrate annually, many citing joblessness and despair.
They will not queue for patriotism; they will queue for passports. The vision must be reborn, not in monuments or manifestos, but in working systems, open borders, and factories producing for the continent.
Clarion call – from islands of pride to continents of purpose
Africa’s moment is not on the horizon; it is now. We have the numbers, the resources, and the youth. What we lack is cohesion.
- Let flags be flown over factories, not fantasies
- Let leadership be measured not in titles, but in trade corridors opened
- Let the ministries of trade and education teach AfCFTA like they teach independence history
- Let no African leader be proud of visa restrictions, customs harassment, or fragmented policy
- Let slogans be replaced with systems
- Let summits give way to supply chains. This is a call, not just to governments, but to the private sector, academia, civil society, and the diaspora. The dream of continentalism is not a romantic echo. It is an economic necessity. It is a strategy for survival. It is an opportunity for global influence. Every country that clings to isolated pride builds a castle of sand in a global hurricane.
Conclusion – a continent united or a continent undone
We stand at a historic fork. One road leads to parades and poverty. The other leads to production and prosperity. Africa must decide: Legacy or lethargy? Collaboration or chronic fragmentation? Factories or flags? This is no longer about politics. It is about posterity. It is about whether our children will inherit borders drawn in blood or futures built in unity. Let us choose continentalism.
Let us rise not as 54 struggling states, but as one unstoppable force. The time is now, not for another declaration, but for demonstrable unity. For the blueprints of integration. For a future we can finally call our own. Because history will ask: when Africa stood at the crossroads, did we hesitate, or did we rise? Let this be the generation that answered with action. Let this be the Africa that rose together.
>>>the writer is a globally celebrated thought leader, Chartered Director, industrial engineer, supply chain management expert, and social entrepreneur known for his transformative contributions to industrialisation, procurement, and strategic sourcing in developing nations.
As Africa’s first Professor Extraordinaire for Supply Chain Governance and Industrialization, he has advised governments, businesses, and policymakers, driving sustainability and growth. During his tenure as Chairman of the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) and Labadi Beach Hotel, he led these institutions to global recognition for innovation and operational excellence. He is also the past chairman of the Public Procurement Authority.
A prolific author of over 90 publications, he is the creator of NyansaKasa (Words of Wisdom), a thought-provoking platform with over one million daily readers. Through his visionary leadership, Professor Boateng continues to inspire ethical governance, innovation, and youth empowerment, driving Africa toward a sustainable and inclusive future.
