Africa must trade on its own terms, Madonsela urges

PHILLIMON MHLANGA IN CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA
Africa must harness its own capital, technological expertise and institutional capacity to build resilient, self-reliant economies that can withstand external pressures and trade with the world on equal terms, Professor Thuli Madonsela, director of the Centre for Social Justice at Stellenbosch University, has said.
Speaking at the CEO Africa Annual Roundtable in Cape Town on Thursday, Prof Madonsela challenged African economies to abandon their overreliance on external markets and imported technological solutions, arguing that the continent has the skills, resources and ingenuity to solve its own problems and shape its economic future.
She said Africa must respond decisively to an increasingly volatile global trading environment characterised by rising protectionism and intensifying competition for critical minerals, warning that dependence on external partners could undermine the continent’s economic sovereignty.
“We should navigate shifts in our trading environment. We should understand the cost of dependence. These shifts include a rise in protectionism, scramble for critical minerals. We don’t want to be bullied to trade. We want to trade independently,” Prof Madonsela said.
She argued that Africa’s ability to negotiate better relationships with the rest of the world depended on strengthening governance, improving institutional efficiency and building confidence in its own capabilities.
“We can fix relations with the world by fixing our governance. Political economy of efficiency is key,” she said.
Prof Madonsela said African economies had developed a habit of looking outside the continent for trade opportunities, technology and solutions, often overlooking the expertise and innovation available within their own borders.
“Because of their whole trust in each other, that’s called confidence in what each other can do, we look outside,” she said, describing the tendency as “the trap of our outward eye when we’re looking at trade”.
Prof Madonsela warned that dependence on externally controlled technology could leave African economies operating on systems and platforms over which they have limited influence, invoking the concept of techno-feudalism to illustrate the risks of surrendering control over critical technological infrastructure.
For Africa to strengthen its position in the global economy, she said, countries must cultivate the confidence to develop their own solutions, invest in research and innovation, and recognise that complex challenges are not beyond their capabilities.
“It takes the confidence of knowing you have the capacity to translate difficult things. It takes the ability to know that difficult does not mean impossible,” Prof Madonsela said.
She invoked the pyramids as a powerful reminder of Africa’s historic capacity for innovation, engineering and ambitious construction, arguing that the continent still possesses the ingenuity needed to drive its own development.
“Those genes are still running in us,” she said.
Prof Madonsela also urged African leaders to demonstrate greater courage in defending the continent’s economic interests, warning against shaping national decisions around the desire to win approval from external partners.
“Africa needs to be robust to stand against external pressures. To position Africa, it requires courage. Don’t bend your decisions to be liked. Have courage to be disliked,” she said.
She called for greater mobilisation of domestic resources and the development of stronger capital pools to finance African businesses, infrastructure and technological advancement, rather than depending excessively on foreign funding.
“Going forward, there is need to mobilise resources within ourselves. We need to mobilise capital engines within our continent,” she said.
Prof Madonsela said Africa had the potential to become a more influential participant in global commerce, provided its countries strengthened their economic foundations and approached international partnerships from a position of confidence and collective strength.
“We are in a position to turn our continent into a global partner. And we have to be equal partners. And that is possible,” she said.
Her address formed part of a session titled “Africa’s Global Positioning in Shifting Trade & Geopolitics” at the CEO Africa Annual Roundtable, running from October 6 to 10 under the theme “The Future of Africa: Innovate, Trade and Grow”.
The discussions come amid growing global competition for strategic resources, technological capabilities and access to markets, placing renewed importance on Africa’s ability to build competitive industries, strengthen regional trade and negotiate international economic relationships on its own terms.