One might assume that calling Africa “a continent full of potential” is praise. But Samaila Zubairu, president and CEO of the Africa Finance Corporation, said that framing makes it sound as if Africa’s value lies only in the future. In reality, the resources, talent, and opportunities already exist today — the potential is here now.
“We need to find ways to intentionally transform that potential to progress and prosperity for all our people, because there's so much that Africa can offer to the world,” he said at Devex Impact House on the sidelines of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund annual meetings. “And as Africans, we must lead in demonstrating through the examples of successful projects and enterprises that we build that indeed we can have prosperity — and that can only be done by investment, not aid.”
In fact, Zubairu said he’s “actually happy” the U.S. aid cuts happened, a sentiment that dovetails with his long-running belief that Africa needs to invest in itself.
About the author
Anna Gawel
Anna Gawel is the Managing Editor of Devex. She previously worked as the managing editor of The Washington Diplomat, the flagship publication of D.C.’s diplomatic community. She’s had hundreds of articles published on world affairs, U.S. foreign policy, politics, security, trade, travel and the arts on topics ranging from the impact of State Department budget cuts to Caribbean efforts to fight climate change. She was also a broadcast producer and digital editor at WTOP News and host of the Global 360 podcast. She holds a journalism degree from the University of Maryland in College Park.
