By Angonimi David – Imeh
A Social development expert, Angonimi David-Imeh, Chartered Institute of Project Management, CIPM, has called on African leaders to embrace strategic economic self-reliance, industrialisation and value addition as the continent’s pathway to sustainable prosperity.
In a paper titled “Africa’s Readiness for Prosperity: Learning from the Asian Tigers Through Strategic Economic Self-Reliance,” David-Imeh argued that Africa possesses the resources, youthful population and market potential needed to become a global economic powerhouse if governments adopt deliberate policies that prioritise local production and long-term development.
According to her, Africa has for decades been regarded as the “continent of the future,” but persistent dependence on exporting raw materials, weak industrialisation and overreliance on foreign markets have continued to delay its economic transformation.
She noted that the continent’s greatest advantage lies in its young and growing population, abundant natural resources, expansive arable land and increasing technological adoption, stressing that these assets position Africa for unprecedented economic growth.
Drawing lessons from the remarkable transformation of the Asian Tigers—South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong—David-Imeh said their success was driven by strategic investments in education, industrialisation, infrastructure, technological innovation and long-term economic planning rather than reliance on raw material exports.
She urged African governments to adapt similar strategies to suit the continent’s unique realities by promoting manufacturing, protecting local industries and adding value to natural resources before exporting them.
The economic expert observed that Africa continues to lose enormous wealth by exporting cocoa, crude oil, cotton and strategic minerals in their raw forms, only to import finished products at significantly higher costs.
She maintained that reversing this trend through local processing and manufacturing would create millions of jobs, strengthen domestic industries and improve wealth creation across the continent.
David-Imeh further highlighted Africa’s vast deposits of gold, cobalt, lithium, rare earth minerals, oil, gas and nearly 60 per cent of the world’s uncultivated arable land as critical assets that should drive industrial development in agriculture, renewable energy, pharmaceuticals, automobile assembly, textiles and consumer goods manufacturing.
She also described the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as a major opportunity to deepen intra-African trade, expand regional markets and reduce dependence on external economies.
According to her, a stronger continental market would boost industrial production, improve supply chains, stimulate innovation and enable African businesses to compete more effectively on the global stage.
David-Imeh emphasised that investment in human capital remains central to Africa’s economic future, calling for reforms that prioritise science, technology, engineering, mathematics, entrepreneurship, vocational education and digital innovation.
She stressed that governments must also support small and medium-sized enterprises through improved access to finance, mentorship and market opportunities to accelerate economic growth.
The expert further called for visionary leadership, policy consistency and transparent governance, noting that sustainable development requires economic plans that transcend political administrations and remain focused on industrialisation, infrastructure, research, innovation and skills development.
While acknowledging challenges such as inadequate infrastructure, unreliable power supply, governance concerns and youth unemployment, David-Imeh expressed confidence that Africa has all the ingredients needed to overcome them.
She concluded that the continent’s future would depend not only on the abundance of its natural resources but on the vision, innovation and determination of its people.
“The age of exporting potential must give way to the age of creating prosperity. Africa is ready. The time to act is now,” she said.