ONE Campaign CEO: Africa wants investment — and a move away from aid

Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli — the first African leader of the D.C.-based ONE Campaign — is on a mission to reframe the continent. “We need to shift this focus on: too risky, it’s a black hole, you’re never going to get your money out,” said Nwuneli, speaking to a crowd at Devex World last week. “No. Let’s actually find out if that’s the case.” Nwuneli took the reins of the ONE Campaign earlier this year. Ever since, she’s been trying to get the world to think about Africa differently, and elevating calls from others on the continent who say they don’t want aid — but investment. From a stage in Washington, D.C., Nwuneli spoke about Africa’s potential, from the continent’s explosion of film, music, and fashion on the global stage to the fact that in 2023, more than $80 billion worth of remittances were sent from the African diaspora back to the continent. “What they’ve told us is very clear: We want growth. We want a way out of ODA,” Nwuneli said. “When we say that we want Africa as an equal player, [we need to] move from saying that [as] tokenism to actually saying we’re investing at the highest levels — and we’re unlocking serious money.” To do that, ONE is looking at three sectors: the creative industry, food and agriculture, and critical minerals. Each of those sectors is already driving growth across the continent, Nwuneli said — but with the right investment, that impact could multiply. To start, ONE has identified five countries to “remove the bottlenecks” to growth and accelerate it further: Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, and Zambia. "What we know is that Africans want to fight for themselves — and that the demand for African agency is louder than ever before,” Nwuneli said.