Unlocking access to technology, finance, fair trade, and opportunity, not charity, is critical to Africa’s future economic growth, Antonio Pedro, Deputy Executive Secretary (Programme Support) of the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), has said, at the African Leadership Forum in Kampala.
Calling for bold leadership and systemic action to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Pedro stressed that building strong, competitive economies must be a top priority. “Africa doesn’t need charity, it needs access,” he told an audience of business leaders, policymakers, and investors.
Pedro highlighted the urgency of addressing youth unemployment, noting that 12 million young Africans enter the labor market annually, but only 3 million formal jobs are created. “Unemployment is not just an economic concern, it’s a threat to peace and development,” he warned, underscoring the risks to social stability and economic growth if opportunities are not expanded.
Central to Africa’s transformation, Pedro said, is shifting from the export of raw materials to value addition and scaling up regional trade through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). He also emphasized industrialization and youth empowerment as key growth drivers.
“To transform, we must shift from exporting raw materials to adding value, from fragmentation to integration,” Pedro added, urging the private sector to invest in Africa’s industrial and manufacturing capacities.
The African Leadership Forum gathered influential voices from across the continent to discuss strategies for driving sustainable, inclusive economic growth, with a strong focus on leveraging Africa’s demographic dividend and boosting intra-African trade.
