Across Africa, talk of self-reliance has often felt like an aspiration rather than a plan. But this weekend in Malabo, a new idea is taking centre stage, one that asks millions of Africans to help fund the continent’s future, one dollar at a time.
At the Malabo Leadership Breakfast Meeting, a special side event of the African Union’s Midyear Coordination Meeting, leaders and investors will discuss the Africa Heritage Fund for Infrastructure (AHFI) and its signature campaign, “Operation One Dollar A Day.”
The vision is simple but ambitious. If 50 million Africans and friends of Africa each commit to contributing a dollar a day, organisers say the continent could unlock billions every year for roads, railways, energy grids, and digital networks. It’s a call to look inward for solutions, drawing on the continent’s vast diaspora and growing middle class to fund development on African terms.
The idea was first championed at APD 2025 by Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, as part of advancing the African Union’s Agenda 2063. For supporters, it represents more than money, it’s a statement of confidence that Africa can pool its own resources and chart its own course.
AHFI plans to make contributions easy through mobile money and digital platforms while also inviting institutional investors, bond markets, and philanthropists to participate. By combining small, everyday giving with large-scale investment, they hope to build a fund robust enough to take on big, transformative projects.
Of course, there are challenges ahead. Questions remain about how the fund will ensure transparency and accountability, and whether trust can be earned at the scale needed to succeed. But for many, these are hurdles worth overcoming.
Equatorial Guinea, the host of this weekend’s discussions, is also launching its own investment agency to attract capital and diversify its economy. It’s a fitting backdrop for conversations about African solutions to African challenges.
In the end, “Operation One Dollar A Day” is more than a financing scheme, it’s an invitation to believe that change can start with something as simple as a small daily commitment, shared across a continent determined to build its own future.
