I believe in the unlimited potential of Africa. I believe that Africa can have a new story.

As a former President and a leader, I worked hard to ensure that this belief was embedded in the institutions that represent us at a global level, like the African Union and NEPAD. I am proud that they capture that belief in their visions and strategic plans.

Africa’s natural wealth has long been coveted by global markets. Our oil, gas, minerals, and precious metals fuel industries worldwide, and as demand surges, our strategic importance only grows. We possess the resources to lead the global renewable energy revolution and hold the key to the critical minerals essential for the energy transition. We have the natural assets to lead the world in renewable energy production and the deposits of the critical minerals that enable the energy transition lie beneath our earth.

Yet, this abundance stands in sharp contrast to our people’s plight. Despite our vast natural wealth, we are home to the world’s poorest populations – a paradox that demands our urgent attention and action.

However, our greatest asset lies not beneath the earth, but in our people. Africa’s human capital, particularly our youth, represents an unparalleled opportunity. By 2050, our population is projected to reach 2.5 billion – over 25% of the global total. More than half of these Africans will be under 25 years old, presenting a demographic dividend in a world grappling with ageing populations.

Our ability to leverage the power of that democratic dividend is the challenge that will define the future of our continent. We will only realise the full value of our natural wealth if we nurture our population by empowering them with the skills that we need to retain value and grow our economies domestically. But we equally face a catastrophe if we fail to take ownership of that opportunity. A 2.5 billion population that is facing limited opportunities, disempowered, and desperate presents a significant challenge to peace and security. Even with the impact on socio-political and economic prosperity, which affects the continent and also the global development landscape.

The stark reality that 9 out of 10 of our children cannot read with comprehension or perform basic mathematics by age ten is not just alarming—it’s a global emergency. This educational deficit, if left unaddressed, threatens to perpetuate a cycle of underdevelopment and lost potential. As leaders and parents, we bear no greater responsibility than to confront this challenge head-on. We must candidly acknowledge that we are falling short in this crucial task. It’s imperative that we, as a continent, collectively recognize this failure and take immediate, decisive action to rectify it. The future of Africa, and the world depends on our ability to equip our young people with these foundational skills.

This is not just an education problem. If we do not address it, we will not achieve our goals for healthcare, food security, climate change, inclusive economic green growth, trade, gender equality, economic empowerment, and governance. They are all interconnected with our ability to develop and build our human capital. Basic literacy and numeracy are the foundations on which the delivery of every single development objective outlined in Agenda 2063 will be achieved.

The African Union knows and understands the importance of education. That is why 2024 has been declared the African Union Year of Education. At a country level, there is encouraging work being done by the Ministries of Education to deploy innovative and scalable African solutions to this problem.

Some of these solutions are as simple as teaching a child at the appropriate level while consistently assessing and instructing them at their current levels. It works, as simple as it may sound. Schools that have made investments in structured pedagogy have also demonstrated remarkable success.

But this is not enough. My friends and fellow leaders have not yet seemed to fully grasp the urgency and severity of the situation. There is an urgent need to accelerate action and deliver it at scale. The consequences are clear if we do not, as is the opportunity if we confront this head-on and use it to catalyse investment in the education that our citizens need.

We are at an inflection point. The children being born today will be the five to ten-year-olds that reap the benefits of our work if we can deliver change, and they will become the 25-year-olds powering our growth and development by 2050. We owe it to them to give them the tools they need to deliver our dreams.

I call upon my fellow heads of state, former and current, to collectively commit to acknowledge our shared responsibility in ensuring that the young people of our beloved continent have the capacity to achieve their full potential, in line with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 goals and vision for the Africa we want. This goal is not merely aspirational; it is the bedrock upon which future academic success and societal progress will be built. This is not a decision for the future, but one that we need to act upon with the utmost urgency and pragmatism. Through meaningful collaboration, implementation of robust continental accountability mechanisms and measurement, and peer review structures, we can scale up innovative work happening at local and country levels across the continent and really move the needle forward on the economic security of our continent.

By focusing our efforts and resources on ensuring every child is equipped with basic literacy, numeracy, socioemotional, cognitive thinking skills, and more, we lay the foundation for a bright future. Imagine an Africa where every child, regardless of their background, has the tools to think critically, innovate, and contribute meaningfully to society. This focus on foundational learning will have a ripple effect across all sectors of the development framework of Agenda 2063. We will see increased economic productivity, enhanced technological innovation and adoption, improved health sectors, and stronger democratic participation. By 2063, Africa could stand as a beacon of human capital development, with a

highly skilled workforce driving sustainable economic growth, groundbreaking scientific advancements, and cultural renaissance.

Let us seize this moment. Our vision is within reach. Let us first acknowledge that we are collectively responsible for Africa’s future. With the right investment, action, and sustained focus, we can strengthen our chances of reaching our shared vision for the Africa we want. It is imperative that together, we strengthen the future of our beloved continent by empowering the brilliant minds of tomorrow.