At the opening ceremony of the Africa Forward Summit held on 11 and 12 May in Nairobi. Its objective was to strengthen economic partnerships between France and the African continent on the theme of social innovation. UN Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed African leadership in reforming the global financial architecture and in combating climate change. He recalled that the greatest transformation of this century is not a market, but a generation.By 2050, one in four people on the planet will be African.
The Summit, convened by Presidents William Ruto and Emmanuel Macron, marks a decisive step in the partnership between Africa and the international community. António Guterres stressed that Africa does not wait, it advances and shows the way. The continent plays a leading role in global governance reform:
- Pact for the Future adopted at the United Nations General Assembly.
- Borrowers' platform, giving a unified voice to debtor countries.
- Seville commitment to increase the lending capacity of multilateral banks and alleviate the debt burden.
- AfDB's vision, mobilizing African resources for African priorities.
Climate and energy injustice
At the climate level, Guterres denounced the injustices: Africa holds 60% of global solar potential but receives only 2% of clean energy investments. With adequate funding, the continent could generate ten times more electricity than it needs by 2040, entirely from renewable energies.
He also recalled that 600 million Africans still live without access to electricity and that one billion people use polluting cooking methods, responsible for 800,000 deaths per year, mainly among women and children.
Reforming financial justice and building on youth
Head of UN denounced borrowing costs «twice as high» the OECD countries, considering that it was not a question of «contract verdict» but a «verdict on the injustices of the system ».
In the last part of his speech, António Guterres called for a new generation of partnerships based on «mutual interest» and the priorities defined by Africans themselves, including the FTACAf and Agenda 2063.
He called for more investment in African universities, artificial intelligence and local industries, so that the continent's critical resources and minerals would first benefit African populations.
« The greatest transformation of this century is not a market – it is a generation»he said, recalling that in 2050, one in four people in the world will be African. «When Africa succeeds, the whole world wins»concluded by the Secretary-General.
Mamadou SY
