Sarah Goroh

It is no news that Africa has been at the back seat for far too long with minimal influence in our global society. There is a need to shift Africa from the back seat to the front seat, and a change in our perception is one of the ways to achieve this dream. Part two of this article reveals the power in unity and the pursuit of purpose as major drivers of change.

The key to unlock the doors to economic freedom and development, and to set Africa at a place of influence in our global society, can be achieved through education, unity and the pursuit of purpose. The pursuit of purpose begins when we discover our identity as Africans and unite in purpose and vision. What defines us as true Africans? Who are we and what do we have to offer to the global market? We need to be true to our origins, value what we have and celebrate our diversity.   

The pursuit of purpose
 If we want to achieve a unified goal or vision for the development of our nations, we must pursue purpose as a continent, as nations, as communities and as individuals. What is our end goal? The pursuit of purpose begins with the individual, not the bigger group. As individuals, we need to ask ourselves these set of questions; “Who am I? Why am I here? What should I be doing?” 
Once we have defined who we are and where we are going, a strong drive will be birthed within us and we won’t allow the rest of the world to place a tag on us. For us to set ourselves at a higher place of affluence globally, we need to put our differences aside and choose to discover and pursue our purpose. The current pandemic has revealed our deep dependency mindset and our lack of multi-generational leadership. Henceforth, it’s time for us to grow and let go of limiting beliefs.

However, for us to grow, we must acknowledge that we have indeed come far. We are not where we used to be. We have experienced growth over the last couple of centuries. If we do not acknowledge that we have experienced growth, we will fail to move to the next level and we won’t take notice of the progress or changes that are taking place, and this will continue to place us at the back seat. It’s time for us to increase our sphere of influence as we set the stage for more inventors, creators and innovators. 

United we stand
We desire to set the standard and to stand out from the rest of the world. However, it is imperative that Africa becomes united with one vision in mind. We should seek to become a continent that feeds, educates and cares for its inhabitants. It’s time for a shift through industrialisation. We have the means and the resources, but we must put them to good use and invest them in avenues that will benefit Africa as a continent for generations to come.

It is vital that we begin to invest for the future. This can be made possible by holding our leaders and fellow citizens accountable, applying the principle of teamwork and designing and implementing long-term policies & plans that are efficient for the nations of Africa. We must unite and abolish racism, tribalism, xenophobia and inequality. If we do not abolish these practices, we will fail to unite in vision, and Africa will remain at the back seat. We all form part of the bigger picture and every African nation have their part to play. Once we unite in purpose and vision, we can create a chain reaction that will reap a great harvest for generations to come. Africa will eventually become self-sustained.

Some of the ways we can encourage sustainable development are through supporting trade, education, local investments and easy travel between African countries. This should be done intentionally to promote sustainability. There must be a call to action where we hold ourselves accountable to enforce, implement and to execute our written plans. We need to learn and apply key principles from the Western World that we believe may bring change or make a difference in our continent. Africa is blessed and it is imperative that we begin to value what we have before we offer it back to the rest of the world. Let us begin to refine and polish our ‘own’ people, our resources, our businesses and ideas as we showcase them to the global market. By so doing, we will learn to be team players and avoid being spectators.
What is our role as individuals, nations and as a continent as we seek economic freedom? Uniting in purpose and vision will define our roles and set us on a path for multi-generational progression and sustainable development.