If the recent events that unfolded in Kenya starting in June 2024 are anything to go by, the questions on how to engage, participate and call for accountability will be the crux of the African post-modern revolution. The youth are demanding a different future from the current crisis in governance and contemporary capitalism has ravaged to their nation and this starts taking shape towards a state of civil unrest. What future is this they want? A ripple effect is already being felt across East Africa with Ugandan youth starting to organize protests due to the corruption thriving in their government.  

With full cognizance of the evolving dynamics of international affairs, the Pact for the Future reiterates the imperative need to reform development financing and governance structures at all levels. This follows the challenges faced by Africa's burgeoning youth demographic, which continues to grow increasingly marginalized. The Pact of the Future emphasizes the importance of transparency and accountability in financing sustainable development, adding on the responsible use of science and technology, with the transformation of local, regional, continental & global governance. These measures are deemed vital tools to combat inefficient, ineffective and repressive governance, equipping Africa’s populace with the necessary insights and data to transcend its current challenges and reshape its governance systems. This aligns with the vision of Agenda 2063, aptly themed ‘The Africa We Want’, aspiring for a continent empowered and driven by its own citizens, representing a dynamic force in the international arena. 

Transforming Global Governance 

The African Futures network stands at a pivotal juncture, where such appraisal of current affairs and existing positions from the continent are crucial to shaping a sustainable future. The need to reform financing for development is pressing, as it is a cornerstone for addressing these Sisyphean challenges faced by the youth, who are increasingly disenfranchised from lack of economic growth which should spur job creation and better outcomes for them. The transformation of governance at national, regional, and global levels is imperative to ensure that the voices of the youth are heard, and their needs are met. This transformation must be rooted in the principles of transparency, accountability, and inclusivity. 

On the topic of Transforming Governance, Maano Hamukoshi, Vice Chairperson at the Economic & Social Justice Trust in Namibia notes that we require good and inclusive governance, and this is recognized as paramount for Africa's future; with institutions like Brookings underscoring the importance of accountability, transparency, and citizen participation in governance processes. National strategies for advancing good governance have unfortunately been poorly established across the continent, with countries like Kenya, Nigeria recently facing civil unrest over poor governance, the increase of taxes due to its rising debt burden and lacklustre commitment in implementing financial governance reforms. This continues while countries like Ghana are purposed on focusing on resource governance reforms. 

Reforming African Governance 

Closer home, the reform of global financial structures is a topic of significant importance, as highlighted by the Economic Commission for Africa, which calls for timely reform of global financial institutions to address Africa's financing challenges. The African Development Bank's African Economic Outlook emphasizes the need for bold reforms of the global financial architecture to meet Africa's development financing needs. These reforms are essential for fostering Africa's economic transformation and ensuring that the continent can leverage its potential to the fullest. With African Continental Free Trade Agreement as one of the projects cited in the ‘Agenda 2063’, Africa’s strategic framework for sustainable development-, the agreement, seeks to facilitate and increase cross-border and regional economic trade and exchange between the 55 member states in the African Union.  

Maano Hamukoshi, Vice Chair, Economic & Social Justice Trust from Namibia gave purview into the opportunity on how intra-African trade barriers, once eliminated, will allow Africa to realise its own independent market separate from the larger global markets. This Although has been seen as a cog in the wheels of attaining its own market, currency and price system, Africa still must formulate guiding principles in facilitation to ensure tariff revenue losses in member states and the inefficient border controls and customs regulations are ironed out ahead of the lapse of the international Agenda 2030 lapse. 

Sustainable Development & Financing for Development 

We cannot guarantee the human rights of all without sustainable development and a thriving planet. We reaffirm that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is our overarching road map for achieving sustainable development, overcoming the multiple crises we face and securing a better future for all. We recognize that eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty is the greatest global challenge 

This chapter of the Pact starts by stating the resolve of liberating humans from the tyranny of poverty while recounting the fact that attaining the SDGs remains a perilous task. The undignified debt sustainability question looms over Africa in near perpetuity and this impedes the ability of the continent to develop at parity with the privileged wealthy nations of the world. This has increased the risk of exploitation on socioeconomic grounds as poverty and hunger continue to increase. But how? 

Haemorrhaging of sovereign wealth 

According to John Oduk, a policy analyst from the African Forum & Network on Debt & Developemnt, Africa needs to focus on immediate challenges such as the haemorrhaging of public funds which directly impacts the debt burden. Illicit financial flows bleed the continent dry as the tax havens report an increase in capital flight. In Kenya alone, over $4.2 billion is stashed away in foreign tax havens by wealthy elites, most of whom are always government officials. He noted that 24 countries in Africa are at great risk of debt distress due to overborrowing.  

Action 4 of the 1st chapter on Sustainable Development and Financing for Development echoes Goal 16 and target 16.4 in directing efforts to end illicit financial flows and recover and eliminate proceeds from illicit activities. Will the UN push for reforms in the global financial architecture away from the control of the Bretton Woods institutions that funds the agency? Hence the conversation takes the turn to seek a change to the global financial architecture in the 5th chapter. But why separate the actions necessary to shift the financial gap on the development of member states? One starts to see how there is loss of trust in multilateralism. 

As John Oduk highlighted, the financing gap for the SDGs lies in the amount of US $194 - $470 billion and with the target year 2030 in sight, the Summit of the Future seeks to accelerate the funding of interventions to allow most of the sustainable goals to be attained. He iterated on the need to handle corruption and misappropriation/mismanagement of funds at the government ministries to ensure ‘Return On Debt Investment’ (RODI). 

Digital Cooperation should precede Digital Transformation 

Digital cooperation and information sharing emerge as powerful tools in this context, offering a pathway to combat poor and oppressive governance. By leveraging technology, stakeholders can sensitize the populace and disseminate factual data analysis, which is instrumental in fostering a culture of trust and demanding accountability from governing bodies. The digital landscape in Africa is ripe for such an endeavour, with initiatives like the Africa Futures Project and ISS African Futures providing platforms for debate and research on critical issues of African politics and governance.  

Cautionary Adoption vs Adaptation 

Blessing Ajimoti from Public Digital highlights the importance of building digital rail guards to precede innovations that pose certain risks on data privacy or protection. Where ‘banking the unbanked’ can be seen as progress on digital inclusion, it brought about a wave of fraud, extortion through access to credit without regulation. The Central Bank of Kenya in 2022 published regulations that dictated operational standards and oversight to Digital Credit Providers (DCPs)8 after there was public outcry from the digital loan sharks from debt-shame and in many cases, breach of data protection laws when the informal lenders try to recover their shoddy lending practices. Blessing noted the gap squarely fell on lack of standards, policy and regulation – which came after the exploitation of many Kenyans. She referred to the need for regulatory sandboxes focused on citizen-centric approach to the adoption of new technologies.  

The digital domain also holds promise for enhancing governance. Digital cooperation and governance dialogues have highlighted the need for re-imagining education and training to equip the youth with skills for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, addressing mis/disinformation, and developing digital leadership across government, academia, and the private sector. The Center for Global Development points out that digitalization and digital governance are key to regional integration in Africa9, facilitating knowledge sharing and collaboration. 

We echo Blessing’s pointer on ‘citizentricity’ guiding innovation as we spoke on the steps towards bridging gaps and catalysing change even on apposite subjects like the adoption versus the adaptation of digital technologies. While bridging gaps in the aim of leaving no one behind in the leap into the digital age, the speaker called for rules for engagement with countries already advanced in the sector. The U.S and its Silicon Valley have been at the fore of fronting vendor specific technology rather than the open-source technologies that have been affordable and inclusive to the global village of users.  

Digital public goods were discussed extensively in the dialogue. Specifically on the area of capacity building and leveraging on these where Open Data and Digital Literacy can be supported to ensure the gap on accessibility and inclusivity beyond that enclave of influence can be bridged to facilitate uptake & utilisation of digital technologies. Currently, broadband penetration in the region stands at 82% with technologies like mobile money seeing over 1.75 billion accounts registered with an active user count of 435 million Africans.10 

The synergy of efforts in emerging tech, financing for such development can lead to a future where the African continent can realize its potential, driven by the aspirations and energies of its digital natives, the youth. These dialogues are not just conversations but a call to action for all stakeholders to collaborate and contribute to a future that reflects the collective will and aspirations of the African people. 

Recommendations & Way Forward 

Recommendations 

Empowering Cottage Industries & Smallholder Farmers: 

There was a consensus on the need to empower community grown industries and smallholder farmers amidst challenges such as structural adjustment programs (SAPs) that have favoured, through unpopular fiscal and monetary policies, large-scale corporations and commercialised farming. The discussion emphasized rethinking strategies to support local economies and empower smallholder farmers through better market access and improving agricultural practices. 

It's not enough to just channel aid towards buying grain for the poor or water filters and solar panels. A case in point here would be Solinc, a company that has been in Kenya since 2011 – yet they only produce panels for the retail distribution market. Such a firm should sell panels directly to the people to alleviate rising costs of electricity beyond the restrictive model limiting access to solar panels by only supplying distributors and not consumers. 

Agency and Ownership: 

African foresight practitioners expressed a strong need and desire to cultivate African agency and ownership in shaping its future; questioning where Africa stands in terms of influencing its own trajectory amidst global influences. This would allow African organizations and development agencies to move away from replicating foreign efforts such as PPPs towards working to design, develop and own our solutions for a better future for Africa.  

Africa needs to employ regional and subregional development outlooks independent from the instrumentalization of strong external influences that weaves webs at the continental level. Whereas devolving some functions of government might be moot, other risks are involved such as misrepresentation in policymaking forthcoming blanket Pact for the Future – the input of individual member states should  

Protecting African Natural Resources 

What does the Pact of the Future state about natural resources? The document mentions and recognizes an urgent need for a ‘fundamental shift’ in our approach to conserve, restore and sustainably use our planet’s natural resources to support the well-being of present and future generations.  

Presently, there are more resources available in Africa than any other continent. There are also several conflicts in areas where there are mineral resources including fertile lands and fresh water. Africa has witnessed private security and logistics firms like Frontier Resources Group, partly state-owned by China, had a presence in Africa in the late 2000s to help hive off resources during their Belt and Road initiative in Africa. We’ve also witnessed interests from North Korea in Namibia. 

• Storytelling - Raising Awareness and Contribution: There was a strong call to actively raise African narratives through its native people to trans-generationally contribute more prominently on global issues such as governance, transparency and accountability. In Africa storytelling was an integral part of raising awareness to societal problems.  

  With the advent of technology, we should be able to tell our individual stories in digital spaces based on our current technology as a community/society to address the wicked problems arising today. Such an instance can be seen with protests witnessed in Kenya over corruption, taxation and poor administration spillover into Nigeria and Uganda fronting the same issues crippling their economies. 

• Structured Engagement on Commitments such as Pact for the Future:  The network called for national, regional, continental digests and negotiations on draft policies for such commitments and agreements like the Pact for the Future. There's an emphasis on sharing these drafts to solidify an African position, involvement and influence in future-oriented policies.  

  Beyond attending the Summit for the Future, the co-facilitators should have modelled a participatory engagement with different fora in member state countries of the EAC, SADC, AU before convening representatives to assent to and support the actions and commitments of the draft Pact. 

• Policy on Future Generations:  A need therefore arises, not about whether, but when there will be an African policy, legislation or commission on future generations, with suggestions of a need for strategic foresight frameworks to help develop such legislation. Progressive action can already be seen, where the School of International Futures and SID worked together towards introducing strategic foresight at the Senate of Kenya. 
• Raise Averseness on Globalization and One World Government: Discussions occurred on the relevance and impact of globalist organisation, particularly in the context of Chapter 5 of the Pact on Transforming Global Governance. Might the global governance be shifting away from the United Nations’ model? Maybe there’s a sense that the end for the band of specialised Agentur is nigh as it was for the League of Nations. 

• Participatory & Anticipatory Governance and Partnerships:  Emphasis on participation of stakeholders as a tenet preceding anticipatory governance through the mobilization of transgenerational stakeholders, to appraise or critique critical infrastructure programs, and partnerships aimed at future generations. 

  We recommend an inclusive, accessible mode of engagement with the youth and future generations as they will live in that future current policies and legislation will impact today. Partnerships with leading institutions or other countries well established in such proactive and futureproof policymaking methods can help influence positive change to governance amongst member states of the African Union. 

• Co-Creation and Collaboration: There was a recommendation on the importance of co-creation and collaboration across efforts in convening dialogues for knowledge sharing, civic education, and training/upskilling initiatives to foster continental collective influence and action. 

  It will be imperative for the African Futures to build communal understanding of the challenges and opportunities that face their region. 

• Engaging and Influencing Governments:  With regards to influencing government policy direction and the implementation thereof, the network discussed prospects around drafting policy notes and connecting those with governments’ relevant issues or negotiations, agreements in different sectoral engagements to enhance participation and influence necessary in shaping future policies and initiatives. 
• Theory of Change: Shift focus to inculcating a new thinking in African minds that isn’t quite different from the Pan-African mindset during and post colonialism. Foresight is a mindset not a science. Africans have been using foresight in folk tales and culturally to prepare and prevent occurrences and calamities in the past towards developing a theory of change to effectively influence and drive future-oriented agendas, particularly in futures and foresight initiatives in Africa.